Magnetars

Abstract

"Magnetars (Soft Gamma Repeaters and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars) are a subclass of neutron stars characterized by their recurrent X-ray bursts. While in an active (bursting) state, they are emitting hundreds of predominantly soft (kT=30 keV), short (0.1-100 ms long) events. Active states last anywhere between days and years. Their quiescent source X-ray light curves exhibit pulsations in the narrow range of 5-11 s; estimates of these rotational period rate changes (spin-down) indicate that their magnetic fields are extremely high, of the order of 10^14-10^15 G. Such high B-field objects, dubbed "magnetars", had been predicted to exist in 1992, but the first concrete observational evidence was obtained in 1998 for two of these sources. I will discuss here the recent spectacular results from SGR 1806-20, as well as the history of magnetars, and their spectral, timing and flux characteristics both in the persistent and their burst emission."