Magnetar

About: Magnetar is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2905 publications have been published within this topic receiving 106806 citations.

Implications of a "Fast Radio Burst" from a Galactic Magnetar

Abstract: A luminous radio burst was recently detected in temporal coincidence with a hard X-ray flare from the Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154 with a time and frequency structure consistent with cosmological fast radio bursts (FRB) and a fluence within a factor of $\lesssim 10$ of the least energetic extragalactic FRB previously detected. Although active magnetars are commonly invoked FRB sources, several distinct mechanisms have been proposed for generating the radio emission which make different predictions for the accompanying higher frequency radiation. We show that the properties of the coincident radio and X-ray flares from SGR 1935+2154, including their approximate simultaneity and relative fluence $E_{\rm radio}/E_{\rm X} \sim 10^{-5}$, as well as the duration and spectrum of the X-ray emission, are consistent with extant predictions for the synchrotron maser shock model. Rather than arising from the inner magnetosphere, the X-rays are generated by (incoherent) synchrotron radiation from thermal electrons heated at the same shocks which produce the coherent maser emission. Although the rate of SGR 1935+2154-like bursts in the local universe is not sufficient to contribute appreciably to the extragalactic FRB rate, the inclusion of an additional population of more active magnetars with stronger magnetic fields than the Galactic population can explain both the FRB rate as well as the repeating fraction, however only if the population of active magnetars are born at a rate that is at least two-orders of magnitude lower than that of SGR 1935+2154-like magnetars. This may imply that the more active magnetar sources are not younger magnetars formed in a similar way to the Milky Way population (e.g. via ordinary supernovae), but instead through more exotic channels such as superluminous supernovae, accretion-induced collapse or neutron star mergers.

Rotational evolution of the Crab pulsar in the wind braking model

Abstract: The pulsar wind model is updated by considering the effect of particle density and pulsar death. It can describe both the short-term and long-term rotational evolution of pulsars consistently. It is applied to model the rotational evolution of the Crab pulsar. The pulsar is spun down by a combination of magnetic dipole radiation and particle wind. The parameters of the Crab pulsar, including magnetic field, inclination angle, and particle density are calculated. The primary particle density in acceleration region is about 103 times the Goldreich-Julian charge density. The lower braking index between glitches is due to a larger outflowing particle density. This may be glitch induced magnetospheric activities in normal pulsars. Evolution of braking index and the Crab pulsar in P - (P) over dot diagram are calculated. The Crab pulsar will evolve from magnetic dipole radiation dominated case towards particle wind-dominated case. Considering the effect of pulsar 'death', the Crab pulsar (and other normal pulsars) will not evolve to the cluster of magnetars but downwards to the death valley. Different acceleration models are also considered. Applications to other sources are also discussed, including pulsars with braking index measured, and the magnetar population.

Constraining the Type of Central Engine of GRBs with Swift Data

Abstract: The central engine of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is poorly constrained. There exist two main candidates: a fast-rotating black hole and a rapidly spinning magnetar. Furthermore, X-ray plateaus are wid ...

Pulsar-wind nebulae and magnetar outflows: observations at radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths

Abstract: We review observations of several classes of neutron-star-powered outflows: pulsar-wind nebulae (PWNe) inside shell supernova remnants (SNRs), PWNe interacting directly with interstellar medium (ISM), and magnetar-powered outflows. We describe radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray observations of PWNe, focusing first on integrated spectral-energy distributions (SEDs) and global spectral properties. High-resolution X-ray imaging of PWNe shows a bewildering array of morphologies, with jets, trails, and other structures. Several of the 23 so far identified magnetars show evidence for continuous or sporadic emission of material, sometimes associated with giant flares, and a few possible "magnetar-wind nebulae" have been recently identified.

On the Nature of Quasi-periodic Oscillations in the Tail of Soft Gamma Repeater Giant Flares

Abstract: A model is presented for the quasi-periodic component of magnetar emission during the tail phase of giant flares. The model invokes modulation of the particle number density in the magnetosphere. The magnetospheric currents are modulated by torsional motion of the surface, and we calculate that the amplitude of neutron star (NS) surface oscillation should be ~1% of the NS radius in order to produce the observed features in the power spectrum. Using an axisymmetric analytical model for structure of the magnetosphere of an oscillating NS, we calculate the angular distribution of the optical depth to the resonant Compton scattering. The anisotropy of the optical depth may be why quasi-periodic oscillations are observed only at particular rotational phases.