Rapid spin changes around a magnetar fast radio burst

Rapid spin changes around a magnetar fast radio burst

14 Feb 2024 | Chin-Ping Hu¹², Takuto Narita³, Teruaki Enoto³², George Younes⁴, Zorawar Wadiasingh⁴⁵⁶, Matthew G. Baring⁷, Wynn C. G. Ho⁸, Sebastien Guillot⁹, Paul S. Ray¹⁰, Tolga Güver¹¹¹², Kaustubh Rajwade¹³, Zaven Arzoumanian⁴, Chryssa Kouveliotou¹⁴, Alice K. Harding¹⁵, and Keith C. Gendreau⁴
A fast radio burst (FRB) was detected from the magnetar SGR 1935+2154 in October 2022, confirming its association with magnetars. The event was accompanied by two spin-up glitches, which caused a significant increase in the magnetar's spin frequency. These glitches were followed by a rapid spin-down phase, during which the magnetar exhibited increased X-ray emission and burst rate. The study suggests that a strong, ephemeral magnetospheric wind provides the torque that rapidly slows the star's rotation. The first glitch triggered the star's crust to its magnetosphere, enhancing X-ray signals and spawning the wind that may produce the FRB. The second glitch compensated for the excess recovery between the glitches. The spin-down rate was measured as -1.7(6) × 10⁻¹¹ Hz s⁻¹, with the glitches causing a change in the spin-down rate of -1.5(3) × 10⁻⁹ Hz s⁻¹ and +1.5(3) × 10⁻⁹ Hz s⁻¹. The rotational energy increments associated with these glitches were 3.9 × 10⁴¹ erg and 2.6 × 10⁴¹ erg, respectively. The study also found that the FRB was phase-correlated with the 20-79 keV pulse peak, which exhibited a 0.5 phase offset relative to the soft X-ray pulse profile. The X-ray spectral analysis showed a quiescent spectrum characterized by a blackbody and a non-thermal power-law component. The persistent X-ray flux increased by a factor of five compared to the quiescent flux level. The burst emission at epochs B, C, and D had a total energy of 2.3 × 10⁴⁰ erg. The X-ray radiative output was 7.3 × 10⁴⁰ erg, which is one order of magnitude lower than the spin-down inferred energy but two orders of magnitude higher than the normal quiescent energy. The study suggests that the FRB may be caused by the ignition of pair cascades by a magnetar short burst as the magnetosphere evolves to a more charge-starved state. The results provide insights into the environment that permits or triggers the observed FRB and radio bursts from SGR 1935+2154. The study also highlights the importance of high-cadence observations of SGR 1935+2154 and other magnetars in X-rays, in conjunction with radio monitoring, to identify the conditions required for generating FRBs.A fast radio burst (FRB) was detected from the magnetar SGR 1935+2154 in October 2022, confirming its association with magnetars. The event was accompanied by two spin-up glitches, which caused a significant increase in the magnetar's spin frequency. These glitches were followed by a rapid spin-down phase, during which the magnetar exhibited increased X-ray emission and burst rate. The study suggests that a strong, ephemeral magnetospheric wind provides the torque that rapidly slows the star's rotation. The first glitch triggered the star's crust to its magnetosphere, enhancing X-ray signals and spawning the wind that may produce the FRB. The second glitch compensated for the excess recovery between the glitches. The spin-down rate was measured as -1.7(6) × 10⁻¹¹ Hz s⁻¹, with the glitches causing a change in the spin-down rate of -1.5(3) × 10⁻⁹ Hz s⁻¹ and +1.5(3) × 10⁻⁹ Hz s⁻¹. The rotational energy increments associated with these glitches were 3.9 × 10⁴¹ erg and 2.6 × 10⁴¹ erg, respectively. The study also found that the FRB was phase-correlated with the 20-79 keV pulse peak, which exhibited a 0.5 phase offset relative to the soft X-ray pulse profile. The X-ray spectral analysis showed a quiescent spectrum characterized by a blackbody and a non-thermal power-law component. The persistent X-ray flux increased by a factor of five compared to the quiescent flux level. The burst emission at epochs B, C, and D had a total energy of 2.3 × 10⁴⁰ erg. The X-ray radiative output was 7.3 × 10⁴⁰ erg, which is one order of magnitude lower than the spin-down inferred energy but two orders of magnitude higher than the normal quiescent energy. The study suggests that the FRB may be caused by the ignition of pair cascades by a magnetar short burst as the magnetosphere evolves to a more charge-starved state. The results provide insights into the environment that permits or triggers the observed FRB and radio bursts from SGR 1935+2154. The study also highlights the importance of high-cadence observations of SGR 1935+2154 and other magnetars in X-rays, in conjunction with radio monitoring, to identify the conditions required for generating FRBs.
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