How can newly born rapidly rotating neutron stars become magnetars?
Abstract
In a newly born (high-temperature and Keplerian rotating) neutron star, r-mode instability can lead to stellar differential rotation, which winds the seed poloidal magnetic field ( G) to generate an ultra-high ( G) toroidal field component. Subsequently, by succumbing to the Tayler instability, the toroidal field could be partially transformed into a new poloidal field. Through such dynamo processes, the newly born neutron star with sufficiently rapid rotation could become a magnetar on a timescale of s, with a surface dipolar magnetic field of G. Accompanying the field amplification, the star could spin down to a period of ms through gravitational wave radiation due to the r-mode instability and, in particular, the non-axisymmetric stellar deformation caused by the toroidal field. This scenario provides a possible explanation for why the remnant neutron stars formed in gamma-ray bursts and superluminous supernovae could be millisecond magnetars.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1404.7228,
title = {How can newly born rapidly rotating neutron stars become magnetars?},
author = {Quan Cheng and Yun-Wei Yu},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1404.7228},
year = {2014}
}
Comments
5 pages, 2 figures, published in ApJL