2011ApJ...740..105T -
Astrophys. J., 740, 105 (2011/October-3)
Is Sgr 0418+5729 indeed a waning magnetar?
TUROLLA R., ZANE S., PONS J.A., ESPOSITO P. and REA N.
Abstract (from CDS):
SGR 0418+5729 is a transient soft gamma-ray repeater which underwent a major outburst in 2009 June, during which the emission of short bursts was observed. Its properties appeared quite typical of other sources of the same class until long-term X-ray monitoring failed to detect any period derivative. The present upper limit on implies that the surface dipole field is Bp ≲ 7.5x1012 G, well below those measured in other soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) and in the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs), a group of similar sources. Both SGRs and AXPs are currently believed to be powered by ultra-magnetized neutron stars (magnetars, Bp~ 1014-1015 G). SGR 0418+5729 hardly seems to fit in such a picture. We show that the magneto-rotational properties of SGR 0418+5729 can be reproduced if this is an aged magnetar, ~1 Myr old, which experienced substantial field decay. The large initial toroidal component of the internal field required to match the observed properties of SGR 0418+5729 ensures that crustal fractures, and hence bursting activity, can still occur at the present time. The thermal spectrum observed during the outburst decay is compatible with the predictions of a resonant Compton scattering model (as in other SGRs/AXPs) if the field is low and the magnetospheric twist is moderate.
Abstract Copyright:
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Journal keyword(s):
pulsars: individual: SGR 0418+5729 - stars: magnetic field - stars: neutron
Simbad objects:
7
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