Related papers: On the spectrum and polarization of magnetar flare…
Three giant flares have been detected so far from soft gamma-ray repeaters, each characterized by an initial short hard spike and a pulsating tail. The observed pulsating tails are characterized by a duration of $\sim100\,\rm{s}$, an…
Magnetar giant flares show oscillatory modulations in the tails of their light curves, which can only be explained via some form of beaming. The fireball model for magnetar bursts has been used successfully to fit the phase-averaged light…
The evolution of a dilute electron-positron fireball is calculated in the regime of strong magnetization and very high compactness (l ~10^3-10^8). Heating is applied at a low effective temperature (< 25 keV), and the fireball is allowed to…
Magnetars are neutron stars that host huge, complex magnetic fields which require supporting currents to flow along the closed field lines. This makes magnetar atmospheres different from those of passively cooling neutron stars because of…
Magnetar bursts can be emitted by Alfv\'en waves growing in the outer magnetosphere to nonlinear amplitudes, $\delta B/B\sim 1$, and triggering magnetic reconnection. Similar magnetic flares should occur quasi-periodically in a magnetized…
A simple and well known model for thermal radiation spectra from a magnetized neutron star is further studied. The model assumes that the star is internally isothermal and possesses dipole magnetic field (B <= 1e14 G) in the outer…
The magnetosphere of strongly magnetized neutron stars, such as magnetars, can sustain large electric currents. The charged particles return to the surface with large Lorentz factors, producing a particle bombardment. We investigate the…
The emission of intense radio pulses by flaring magnetars is investigated. Small-scale current gradients can be imprinted into a strongly magnetized outflow by the same processes that source fireball radiation in the closed magnetosphere.…
The intense magnetic fields of neutron stars naturally lead to strong anisotropy and polarization of radiation emanating from their surfaces, both being sensitive to the hot spot position on the surface. Accordingly, pulse phase-resolved…
Emission spectra from magnetars in the soft X-ray band likely contain a thermal component emerging directly from the neutron star surface. However, the lack of observed absorption-like features in quiescent spectra makes it difficult to…
Thermal surface emissions have now been detected from more than a dozen isolated neutron stars, including radio pulsars, radio-quiet neutron stars and magnetars. These detections can potentially provide important information on the interior…
We perform 2D and 3D kinetic simulations of reconnection-mediated turbulent flares in a magnetized electron-positron plasma, with weak and strong radiative cooling. Such flares can be generated around neutron stars and accreting black…
Over the next year, a new era of observations of compact objects in X-ray polarization will commence. Among the key targets for the upcoming Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer mission, will be the magnetars 4U 0142+61 and 1RXS…
Magnetars are a subclass of neutron stars with ultra-strong surface magnetic fields. Some magnetars exhibit persistent hard X-ray emission, characterized by power-law tails with photon indices around 1--1.5, extending from ${\sim}$10 keV to…
We study the pulse morphologies and pulse amplitudes of thermally emitting neutron stars with ultrastrong magnetic fields. The beaming of the radiation emerging from a magnetar was recently shown to be predominantly non-radial, with a small…
Synchrotron radiation and Compton scattering are widely accepted as the most likely emission mechanisms of some astrophysical phenomena, such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The measurement on polarization of…
We present Monte Carlo simulations of radiative transfer in magnetar atmospheres. We include the effects of vacuum polarization, electron and proton scattering, and free-free absorption. Simulations are performed for the atmosphere model…
We construct atmosphere models for strongly magnetized neutron stars with surface fields $B\sim 10^{12}-10^{15}$ G and effective temperatures $T_{\rm eff}\sim 10^6-10^7$ K. The atmospheres directly determine the characteristics of thermal…
X-ray radiation from neutron stars manifests itself in a variety of settings. Isolated pulsars, and magnetars both exhibit quasi-thermal persistent soft X-ray emission from their surfaces. Transient magnetospheric bursts from magnetars and…
The study of polarized radiation transfer in the highly-magnetized surface locales of neutron stars is of great interest to the understanding of accreting X-ray pulsars, rotation-powered pulsars and magnetars. This paper explores scattering…