The strongest cosmic magnets: soft gamma-ray repeaters and anomalous X-ray pulsars
Abstract:
Two classes of X-ray pulsars, the anomalous X-ray pulsars and the soft gamma-ray repeaters, have been recognized in the last decade as the most promising candidates for being magnetars: isolated neutron stars powered by magnetic energy. I review the observational properties of these objects, focussing on the most recent results, and their interpretation in the magnetar model. Alternative explanations, in particular those based on accretion from residual disks, are also considered. The possible relations between these sources and other classes of neutron stars and astrophysical objects are also discussed.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Discovery of a new soft gamma repeater, sgr j1833–0832
Ersin Gogus,Giancarlo Cusumano,Andrew J. Levan,Chryssa Kouveliotou,T. Sakamoto,Scott Barthelmy,Sergio Campana,Yuki Kaneko,Benjamin Stappers,A. de Ugarte Postigo,Tod E. Strohmayer,David Palmer,Jonathan Gelbord,David N. Burrows,A. J. van der Horst,T. Muñoz-Darias,N. Gehrels,Jason W. T. Hessels,Jason W. T. Hessels,Atish Kamble,Stefanie Wachter,K. Wiersema,Ralph A. M. J. Wijers,P. M. Woods +23 more
TL;DR: In this article, the Swift/Burst Alert Telescope triggered on a short burst with temporal and spectral characteristics similar to those of soft gamma repeater (SGR) bursts was used to confirm SGR J1833-0832 as a magnetar.
Journal ArticleDOI
TEMPORAL AND SPECTRAL EVOLUTION IN X- AND γ-RAYS OF MAGNETAR 1E 1547.0–5408 SINCE ITS 2008 OCTOBER OUTBURST: THE DISCOVERY OF A TRANSIENT HARD PULSED COMPONENT AFTER ITS 2009 JANUARY OUTBURST
TL;DR: In this article, the temporal and spectral properties of the magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408 have been analyzed with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), and the Swift satellite.
Journal ArticleDOI
Creation of magnetic spots at the neutron star surface
TL;DR: In this paper, it was shown that magnetic spots can be created on a time-scale of 104 yr with magnetic field strengths ≳5 × 1013 G, provided almost the whole magnetic energy is stored in its toroidal component, and that the conductivity in the inner crust is not too large.
Journal ArticleDOI
RXTE Observations of Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1547.0-5408 During and After its 2008 and 2009 Outbursts
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the results of Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and Swift monitoring observations of the magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408 following the radiative outbursts in 2008 October and 2009 January.
Journal ArticleDOI
Multi-instrument X-ray monitoring of the January 2009 outburst from the recurrent magnetar candidate 1E 1547.0-5408
Federico Bernardini,Federico Bernardini,G. L. Israel,Luigi Stella,Roberto Turolla,Roberto Turolla,Paolo Esposito,Nanda Rea,Silvia Zane,Andrea Tiengo,Sergio Campana,D. Gotz,Sandro Mereghetti,P. Romano +13 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors performed a detailed spectral analysis of four Chandra, three INTEGRAL, and one XMMNewton observations collected over a two week interval after the outburst onset in January 2009.
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