A giant γ-ray flare from the magnetar SGR 1806-20

  • D. M. Palmer
  • , S. Barthelmy
  • , N. Gehrels
  • , R. M. Kippen
  • , T. Cayton
  • , C. Kouveliotou
  • , D. Eichler
  • , R. A.M.J. Wijers
  • , P. M. Woods
  • , J. Granot
  • , Y. E. Lyubarsky
  • , E. Ramirez-Ruiz
  • , L. Barbier
  • , M. Chester
  • , J. Cummings
  • , E. E. Fenimore
  • , M. H. Finger
  • , B. M. Gaensler
  • , D. Hullinger
  • , H. Krimm
  • C. B. Markwardt, J. A. Nousek, A. Parsons, S. Patel, T. Sakamoto, G. Sato, M. Suzuki, J. Tueller

פרסום מחקרי: פרסום בכתב עתמאמרביקורת עמיתים

תקציר

Two classes of rotating neutron stars-soft γ-ray repeaters (SGRs) and anomalous X-ray pulsars-are magnetars, whose X-ray emission is powered by a very strong magnetic field (B ≈ 1015 G). SGRs occasionally become 'active', producing many short X-ray bursts. Extremely rarely, an SGR emits a giant flare with a total energy about a thousand times higher than in a typical burst. Here we report that SGR 1806-20 emitted a giant flare on 27 December 2004. The total (isotropic) flare energy is 2 × 1046 erg, which is about a hundred times higher than the other two previously observed giant flares. The energy release probably occurred during a catastrophic reconfiguration of the neutron star's magnetic field. If the event had occurred at a larger distance, but within 40 megaparsecs, it would have resembled a short, hard γ-ray burst, suggesting that flares from extragalactic SGRs may form a subclass of such bursts.

שפה מקוריתאנגלית
עמודים (מ-עד)1107-1109
מספר עמודים3
כתב עתNature
כרך434
מספר גיליון7037
מזהי עצם דיגיטלי (DOIs)
סטטוס פרסוםפורסם - 28 אפר׳ 2005
פורסם באופן חיצוניכן

טביעת אצבע

להלן מוצגים תחומי המחקר של הפרסום 'A giant γ-ray flare from the magnetar SGR 1806-20'. יחד הם יוצרים טביעת אצבע ייחודית.

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