Related papers: The braking index of millisecond magnetars
Due to the lack of long term pulsed emission in quiescence and the strong timing noise, it is impossible to directly measure the braking index $n$ of a magnetar. Based on the estimated ages of their potentially associated supernova remnants…
Here we report that the observed braking indices of the 366 pulsars in the sample of Hobbs et al. range from about $-10^8$ to about $+10^8$ and are significantly correlated with their characteristic ages. Using the model of magnetic field…
The spin-down energy of millisecond magnetars has been invoked to explain X-ray afterglow observations of a significant fraction of short and long gamma-ray bursts. Here, we extend models previously introduced in the literature,…
As a result of observational difficulties, braking indices of only six rotation-powered pulsars are obtained with certainty, all of which are remarkably smaller than the value ($n=3$) expected for pure magnetodipole radiation model. This is…
In this letter we discuss two possible reasons which cause the observed braking indices n of young radio pulsars to be smaller than 3: (a) the evolving spin-down model of the magnetic field component $B_{\perp}$ increases with time; (b) the…
The braking index, $n$, of a pulsar is a measure of its angular momentum loss and the value it takes corresponds to different spin-down mechanisms. For a pulsar spinning down due to gravitational wave emission from the principal mass…
The long-lasting X-ray plateau emission in long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) shows observational evidence for ongoing energy injection, which may be from magnetar spindown due to energy released via either magnetic dipole (MD) or gravitational…
Using the standard equation for the slowdown of a neutron star, we derive a formula for the braking index via integration rather than the conventional differentiation. The new formula negates the need to measure the second time derivative…
Magnetic field may distort neutron stars (NSs), but its effect has not been robustly tested through gravitational-wave observation yet due to the absence of a fast rotating Galactic magnetar. Part of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are potential to…
Pulsar braking torques due to magnetodipole radiation and to unipolar generator are considered, which results in braking index being less than 3 and could be employed to test the emission models. Improved equations to obtain pulsar braking…
Millisecond magnetars are often invoked as the central engine of some gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), specifically the ones showing a plateau phase. We argue that an apparent plateau phase may not be realized if the magnetic field of the nascent…
Coherent oscillations at kilohertz frequencies have recently been detected in a small number of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), suggesting quasi-periodic dynamics in their central engines. A prominent example is GRB~230307A, which exhibited a…
Recently, a lack of supernova-associated long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB 230307A) at such a low redshift $z=0.065$, but associated with a possible kilonova emission, has attracted great attention. Its heavy element nucleosynthesis and…
The internal-plateau X-ray emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) indicates that a newly born magnetar could be the central object of some GRBs. The observed luminosity and duration of the plateaus suggest that, for such a magnetar, a rapid…
PSR J1734-3333 is a radio pulsar rotating with a period P=1.17 s and slowing down with a period derivative Pdot=2.28 x 10^{-12}, the third largest among rotation-powered pulsars. These properties are midway between those of normal…
We explore a new mechanism of slowing down the rotation of neutron stars via accretion of millicharged dark matter. We find that this mechanism yields pulsar braking indices that can be substantially smaller than the standard $n\sim 3$ of…
Millisecond magnetars, rapidly rotating neutron stars with ultra-strong magnetic fields, have long been proposed as central engines of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). For GRBs produced by neutron star mergers, the survival of a long-lived magnetar…
The binary neutron star merger GW170817/GRB170817A confirmed that at least some neutron star mergers are the progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts. Many short gamma-ray bursts have long-term x-ray afterglows that have been interpreted in…
Two magnetic braking models are implemented in MESA for use in the MIST stellar model grids. Stars less than about 1.3 $M_{\odot}$ are observed to spin down over time through interaction with their magnetized stellar winds (i.e., magnetic…
A rapidly spinning, strongly magnetized neutron star (magnetar) has been proposed as one possible candidate of the central engine of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We systematically analyze the Swift/XRT light curves of long GRBs detected before…