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
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
The mcgill magnetar catalog
S. A. Olausen,Victoria M. Kaspi +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a catalog of the 26 currently known magnetars and magnetar candidates, and investigate and plot possible correlations between their timing, X-ray, and multiwavelength properties.
Journal ArticleDOI
Bright Supernovae from Magnetar Birth
TL;DR: In this paper, a rotating magnetar radiating according to the classic dipole formula could power a very luminous supernova and the peak luminosity would be most sensitive to the dipole field strength of the magnetar.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Astrophysics of Ultrahigh-Energy Cosmic Rays
Kumiko Kotera,Angela V. Olinto +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the main effects of propagation from cosmologically distant sources, including interactions with cosmic background radiation and magnetic fields, are discussed, leading to a survey of candidate sources and their signatures.
Journal ArticleDOI
The McGill Magnetar Catalog
S. A. Olausen,Victoria M. Kaspi +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a catalog of the 26 currently known magnetars and magnetar candidates, and investigate and plot possible correlations between their timing, X-ray, and multiwavelength properties.
Journal ArticleDOI
Unifying the observational diversity of isolated neutron stars via magneto-thermal evolution models.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the results of 2D simulations of the fully-coupled evolution of temperature and magnetic field in neutron stars, including the state-of-the-art kinetic coefficients and, for the first time, the important effect of the Hall term.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Optical/Infrared Observations of the Anomalous X-Ray Pulsar 1E 1048.1–5937 during Its 2007 X-Ray Flare
TL;DR: In this article, optical and infrared observations of the anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP) 1E 1048.1−5937 made during its ongoing X-Ray flare that started in 2007 March were reported.
Journal ArticleDOI
Magnetars: structure and evolution from p-star models
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that the anomalous X-ray pulsars can be explained by magnetic dissipative effects in the inner core of a magnetar, which can explain both the quiescent emission and bursts in soft gamma-ray repeaters and anomalous x-ray pulses.
Posted Content
The Anomalous X-ray Pulsars
TL;DR: Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs) as discussed by the authors are a class of pulsars with spin periods in the 6-12 s range, very soft Xray spectra, secular spin down on time scales of ~10^3-10^5 years, and lack of bright optical counterparts.
Journal ArticleDOI
Limits on the high-energy gamma and neutrino fluxes from the SGR 1806-20 giant flare of 27 December 2004 with the AMANDA-II detector.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used AMANDA-II to search for down-going muons indicative of high-energy gammas and/or neutrinos from a giant gamma flare from the Soft Gamma-Ray Repeater 1806-20.
Journal ArticleDOI
Implications of the narrow period distribution of anomalous X-ray pulsars and soft gamma-ray repeaters
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use a point-likelihood technique to show that the observed period clustering is not simply a statistical fluctuation, and quantify the constraints it imposes on the birth period and on the final period of such systems.