Related papers: A Photon Splitting Cascade Model of Soft Gamma-Ray…
We discuss here constraints on the particle acceleration models from the observed gamma-ray bursts spectra. The standard synchrotron shock model assumes that some fraction of available energy is given instantaneously to the electrons which…
We report on the results of a ~30 ks Chandra pointing of the soft gamma-ray repeater SGR 1806-20, the first X-ray observation with high spectral resolution performed after the 2004 December 27 Giant Flare. The source was found in a bursting…
We find that dim gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are softer than bright GRBs, as indicated on average by data from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on board the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. We show that this correlation is…
The recent discovery of the "weak field, old magnetar", the soft gamma repeater SGR 0418+5729, whose dipole magnetic field is less than 7.5 \times 10^{12} G, has raised perplexing questions: How can the neutron star produce SGR-like bursts…
We present the results of new AGILE observations of PSR B1509-58 performed over a period of $\sim$2.5 years following the detection obtained with preliminary data. The modulation significance of the lightcurve above 30 MeV is at a 5$\sigma$…
In this short note I discuss the hypothesis that bursting activity of magnetars evolves in time analogously to the glitching activity of normal radio pulsars (i.e. sources are more active at smaller ages), and that the increase of the burst…
Pulsed non-thermal quiescent emission between 10 keV and around 150 keV has been observed in $\sim10$ magnetars. For inner magnetospheric models of such hard X-ray signals, resonant Compton upscattering of soft thermal photons from the…
Three times of supergiant flares from soft $\gamma$-ray repeatres are observed, with typical released energy of $\sim 10^{44-47}$ erg. A conventional model (i.e., the magnetar model) for such events is catastrophic magnetism-powered…
It is now commonly believed that Soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) and Anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) are magnetars -- neutron stars powered by their magnetic fields. However, what differentiates these two seemingly dissimilar objects is, at…
The long-lasting tension between the observed spectra of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) and the predicted synchrotron emission spectrum might be solved if electrons do not completely cool. Evidence for incomplete cooling was recently found in…
The Galactic diffuse soft gamma-ray (30-800 keV) emission has been measured from the Galactic Center by the HIREGS balloon-borne germanium spectrometer to determine the spectral characteristics and origin of the emission. The resulting…
Four Soft Gamma Repeaters (SGRs) have now been identified with certainty, and a fifth has possibly been detected. I will review their X-ray and gamma-ray properties in both outburst and quiescence. The magnetar model accounts fairly well…
The magnetospheres of neutron stars provide a valuable testing ground for as-yet unverified theoretical predictions of quantum electrodynamics (QED) in strong electromagnetic fields. Exhibiting magnetic field strengths well in excess of a…
We present the results of new Agile observations of PSR B1509-58 performed over a period of 2.5 years following the detection obtained with a subset of the present data. The modulation significance of the lightcurve above 30 MeV is at a…
It is often stated that gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have typical energies of several hundreds $\keV$, where the typical energy may be characterized by the hardness H, the photon energy corresponding to the peak of $\nu F_{\nu}$. Among the 54…
A fraction of gamma-ray bursts exhibit distinct spectral features in their prompt emission below few 10s of keV that exceed simple extrapolations of the low-energy power-law portion of the Band spectral model. This is also true for the…
We present detailed calculations of the prompt spectrum of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) predicted within the fireball model framework, where emission is due to internal shocks in an expanding relativistic wind. Our time dependent numerical model…
The statistical properties of the soft gamma repeater SGR J1550--5418 are investigated carefully. We find that the cumulative distributions of fluence, peak flux and duration can be well fitted by a bent power law, while the cumulative…
Over a decade ago it was established that the remarkable high energy transients, known as soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs), are a Galactic population and originate from neutron stars with intense (<~ 10^15 G) magnetic fields ("magnetars").…
Two giant flares were observed on 5 March 1979 and 27 August 1998 from the soft gamma-ray repeaters SGR 0526-66 and SGR 1900+14, respectively. The striking similarity between these remarkable bursts strongly implies a common nature. We show…