Magnetar

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

Revisiting the Distance, Environment, and Supernova Properties of SNR G57.2+0.8 that Hosts SGR 1935+2154

Abstract: We have performed a multiwavelength study of supernova remnant (SNR) G57.2+0.8 and its environment. The SNR hosts the magnetar SGR 1935+2154, which emitted an extremely bright millisecond-duration radio burst on 2020 April 28. We used the 12CO and 13CO J = 1–0 data from the Milky Way Image Scroll Painting CO line survey to search for molecular gas associated with G57.2+0.8, in order to constrain the physical parameters (e.g., the distance) of the SNR and its magnetar. We report that SNR G57.2+0.8 is likely impacting the molecular clouds (MCs) at the local standard of rest (LSR) velocity VLSR 30km s-1 and excites a weak 1720 MHz OH maser with a peak flux density of 47 mJy beam−1. The chance coincidence of a random OH spot falling in the SNR is ≤12%, and the OH–CO correspondence chance is 7% at the maser spot. This combines to give <1% false probability of the OH maser, suggesting a real maser detection. The LSR velocity of the MCs places the SNR and magnetar at a kinematic distance of 6.6 ± 0.7 kpc. The nondetection of thermal X-ray emission from the SNR and the relatively dense environment suggests G57.2+0.8 be an evolved SNR with an age t 1.6 x104(d/6.6kpc) yr. The explosion energy of G57.2+0.8 is lower than 2 x 104(n0/10 cm-31.16 (d/6.6 kpc)3.16, which is not very energetic even assuming a high ambient density n0 =10-3. This reinforces the opinion that magnetars do not necessarily result from very energetic supernova explosions.

First very low frequency detection of short repeated bursts from magnetar sgr j1550-5418

Abstract: We report on the first detection of ionospheric disturbances caused by short repeated gamma-ray bursts from the magnetar SGR J1550-5418. Very low frequency (VLF) radio wave data obtained in South America clearly show sudden amplitude and phase changes at the corresponding times of eight soft gamma-ray repeater bursts. Maximum amplitude and phase changes of the VLF signals appear to be correlated with the gamma-ray fluence. On the other hand, VLF recovery timescales do not show any significant correlation with the fluence, possibly suggesting that the bursts' spectra are not similar to each other. In summary, Earth's ionosphere can be used as a very large gamma-ray detector and the VLF observations provide us with a new method to monitor high-energy astrophysical phenomena without interruption such as Earth occultation.

Precessing flaring magnetar as a source of repeating FRB 180916.J0158+65

Abstract: Recently, CHIME detected periodicity in the bursting rate of the repeating FRB 180916.J0158+65. In a popular class of models, the fast radio bursts (FRBs) are created by giant magnetic flares of a hyper-active magnetar driven by fast ambipolar diffusion in the core. We point out that in this scenario the magnetar is expected to precess freely with a period of hours to weeks. The internal magnetic field $B\sim 10^{16}$G deforms the star, and magnetic flares induce sudden changes in magnetic stresses. The resulting torques and displacements of the principal axes of inertia are capable of pumping a significant amplitude of precession. The anisotropy of the flaring FRB activity, combined with precession, implies a strong periodic modulation of the visible bursting rate. The ultra-strong field invoked in the magnetar model provides: (1) energy for the frequent giant flares, (2) the high rate of ambipolar diffusion, releasing the magnetic energy on the timescale $\sim 10^9$s, (3) the core temperature $T\approx 10^9$K, likely above the critical temperature for neutron superfluidity, (4) strong magnetospheric torques, which efficiently spin down the star, and (5) deformation with ellipticity $\epsilon> 10^{-6}$, much greater than the rotational deformation. These conditions result in a precession with negligible viscous damping, and can explain the observed 16 day period in FRB 180916.J0158+65.

Magnetars origin and progenitors with enhanced rotation

Abstract: Among a dozen known magnetar candidates there are no binary objects. As an estimate of a fraction of binary neutron stars is about 10% it is reasonable to address the question of solitarity of magnetars, to estimate theoretically the fraction of binary objects among them, and to mark o probable companions. We present population synthesis calculations of binary systems. Our goal is to estimate the number of neutron stars originated from progenitors with enhanced rotation, as such compact objects can be expected to have large magnetic fields, ie. they can be magnetars. The fraction of such neutron stars in our calculations is about 13-16%. Most of these objects are isolated due to coalescences of components prior to a neutron star formation, or due to a system disruption after a supernova explosion. The fraction of such neutron stars in survived binaries is about 1% or lower. Their most numerous companions are black holes.

Twisting, reconnecting magnetospheres and magnetar spindown

Abstract: We present the first simulations of evolving, strongly twisted magnetar magnetospheres. Slow shearing of the magnetar crust is seen to lead to a series of magnetospheric expansion and reconnection events, corresponding to X-ray flares and bursts. The axisymmetric simulations include rotation of the neutron star and the magnetic wind through the light cylinder. We study how the increasing twist affects the spindown rate of the star, finding that a dramatic increase in spindown occurs. Particularly spectacular are explosive events caused by the sudden opening of large amounts of overtwisted magnetic flux, which may be associated with the observed giant flares. These events are accompanied by a short period of ultra-strong spindown, resulting in an abrupt increase in spin period, such as was observed in the giant flare of SGR 1900+14.