Related papers: Photon Attenuation and Pair Creation in Highly-Mag…
Magnetars are a unique class of neutron stars characterized by their incredibly strong magnetic fields. Unlike normal pulsars whose X-ray emission was driven by rotational energy loss, magnetars exhibit distinct X-ray emissions thought to…
Weakly magnetized neutron stars in X-ray binaries show complex phenomenology with several spectral components that can be associated with the accretion disk, boundary and/or spreading layer, a corona, and a wind. Spectroscopic information…
We show that the observed pulsed optical emission of the anomalous X-ray pulsar 4U 0142+61 can be accounted for by both the magnetar outer gap models and the disk-star dynamo gap models, therefore is not an evidence in favor of one of these…
Axions can be copiously produced in localized regions of neutron star magnetospheres where the ambient plasma is unable to efficiently screen the induced electric field. As these axions stream away from the neutron star they can resonantly…
X-ray polarimetry promises us an unprecedented look at the structure of magnetic fields and on the processes at the base of acceleration of particles up to ultrarelativistic energies in relativistic jets. Crucial pieces of information are…
We derive new constraints on axion-like particles (ALPs) using precision $X$-ray polarization studies of magnetars. Specifically, we use the first detection of polarized $X$-rays from the magnetars 4U 0142+61 and 1RXS J170849.0-400910 by…
We present new determination of the birth rate of AXPs and SGRS and their associated SNRs. We find a high birth rate of 1/(500 yr) for AXPs/SGRs and 1/(1700 yr) for associated SNRs. These high rates suggest that all massive stars (greater…
It has been recently claimed by two different groups that the spectral modulation observed in gamma rays from Galactic pulsars and supernova remnants can be due to conversion of photons into ultra-light axion-like-particles (ALPs) in…
We present a statistical analysis of the X-ray bursts observed from the 2002 June 18 outburst of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar (AXP) 1E 2259+586, observed with the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) aboard the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. We…
Photon splitting is a QED process that can potentially suppress pair production in the inner magnetosphere of a pulsar with a super-strong magnetic field, and hence, may quench radio emission from these objects. While it is unknown how many…
Axion Like Particles (ALPs), postulated to solve the strong-CP problem, are predicted to couple with photons in the presence of magnetic fields, which may lead to a significant change in the observed spectra of gamma-ray sources such as…
Star quakes and internal phase transitions within anomalous x-ray pulsars (AXPs) and soft $\gamma$-ray repeaters (SGRs) can produce mini contractions and pulsar glitches. Shocks break out from their surface following such contractions…
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…
We report on the serendipitous X-ray detection, using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, of the radio pulsar J1718-3718. This pulsar has one of the highest inferred surface dipole magnetic fields in the radio pulsar population (B = 7.4e13 G),…
Axion-Like Particles (ALPs) are predicted by many extensions of the Standard Model and give rise to characteristic dimming and polarization effects in a light beam travelling in a magnetic field. In this Letter, we demonstrate that…
We present a model for the gamma-ray emission of pulsars in terms of curvature radiation by highly relativistic particles. It is shown that the injection of power-law primary particles from an outer gap and subsequent cooling by curvature…
We investigate whether young neutron stars with fall-back disks can produce Anomalous X-Ray Pulsars (AXPs) within timescales indicated by the ages of associated supernova remnants. The system passes through a propeller stage before emerging…
(ABBREVIATED) We consider the structure of neutron star magnetospheres threaded by large-scale electrical currents, and the effect of resonant Compton scattering by the charge carriers (both electrons and ions) on the emergent X-ray spectra…
We have investigated the long-term evolutions of the high-magnetic field radio pulsars (HBRPs) with measured braking indices in the same model that was applied earlier to individual anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs), soft gamma repeaters…
Axion Like Particles (ALPs) are predicted to couple with photons in the presence of magnetic fields. This effect may lead to a significant change in the observed spectra of gamma-ray sources such as AGNs. Here we carry out a detailed study…