Related papers: Instability of twisted magnetar magnetospheres
Magnetars exhibit a variety of transient high-energy phenomena in the form of bursts, outbursts, and giant flares. It is a common belief that these events originate in the sudden release of magnetic energy due to the rearrangement of a…
Magnetospheric twists, that is magnetospheres with a toroidal component, are under scrutiny due to the key role the twist is believed to play in the behaviour of neutron stars. Notably, its dissipation is believed to power magnetar…
Magnetar magnetospheres are believed to be strongly twisted, due to shearing of the stellar crust by internal magnetic stresses. We present time-dependent axisymmetric simulations showing in detail the evolution of relativistic force-free…
We extend our previous study of equilibrium solutions of non-rotating force-free magnetospheres of neutron stars. We show that multiple solutions exist for the same sets of parameters, implying that the solutions are degenerate. We are able…
The magnetar magnetosphere is gradually twisted by shearing from footpoint motion, and stored magnetic energy also increases at the same time. When a state exceeds a threshold, flares/outbursts manifest themselves as a result of a…
The origins of the various outbursts of hard X-rays from magnetars (highly magnetized neutron stars) are still unknown. We identify instabilities in relativistic magnetospheres that can explain a range of X-ray flare luminosities. Crustal…
We investigate the instability of purely poloidal magnetic fields in nonrotating neutron stars by means of three-dimensional general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations, extending the work presented in Ciolfi et al. (2011). Our…
We study the long-term quasi-steady evolution of the force-free magnetosphere of a magnetar coupled to its internal magnetic field. We find that magnetospheric currents can be maintained on long timescales of the order of thousands of…
There is an increasing theoretical and observational evidence that the external magnetic field of magnetars may contain a toroidal component, likely of the same order of the poloidal one. Such "twisted magnetospheres" are threaded by…
We present a detailed analysis of the properties of twisted, force-free magnetospheres of non-rotating neutron stars, which are of interest in the modelling of magnetar properties and evolution. In our models the magnetic field smoothly…
In this letter, we present the first 3D force-free general relativity simulations of the magnetosphere dynamics related to the magnetar outburst/flare phenomenology. Starting from an initial dipole configuration, we adiabatically increase…
The X-ray spectra observed in the persistent emission of magnetars are evidence for the existence of a magnetosphere. The high-energy part of the spectra is explained by resonant cyclotron upscattering of soft thermal photons in a twisted…
The phenomenology of the emission of pulsars and magnetars depends dramatically on the structure and properties of their magnetic field. In particular it is believed that the outbursting and flaring activity observed in AXPs and SRGs is…
Magnetar magnetospheres are strongly twisted, and are able to power sudden energetic events through the rapid release of stored electromagnetic energy. In this paper, we investigate twisted relativistic force-free axisymmetric…
We use 2.5D Magnetohydrodynamic simulations to investigate the spectral signatures of the nonlinear disruption of a tearing unstable current sheet via the generation of multiple secondary current sheets and magnetic islands. During the…
We propose a scenario for the quasi-periodic oscillations observed in magnetar flares wherein a tangled component of the stellar magnetic field introduces nearly isotropic stress that gives the fluid core of the star an effective shear…
Soft Gamma-Ray Repeaters and Anomalous X-Ray Pulsars are extreme manifestations of the most magnetized neutron stars: magnetars. The phenomenology of their emission and spectral properties strongly support the idea that the magnetospheres…
The release of spin-down energy by a magnetar is a promising scenario to power several classes of extreme explosive transients. However, it lacks a firm basis because magnetar formation still represents a theoretical challenge. Using the…
Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities can play an important role in the structure and dynamics of the pulsar magnetosphere. We consider the instabilitycaused by differential rotation that is suggested by many theoretical models. Stability…
Current models of magnetars require extremely strong magnetic fields to explain their observed quiescent and bursting emission, implying that the field strength within the star's outer crust is orders of magnitude larger than the dipole…