Explosive reconnection in magnetars

Abstract

X-ray activity of Anomalous X-ray Pulsars and Soft Gamma-Ray Repeaters may result from the heating of their magnetic corona by direct currents dissipated by magnetic reconnection. We investigate the possibility that X-ray flares and bursts observed from AXPs and SGRs result from magnetospheric reconnection events initiated by development of tearing mode in magnetically-dominated relativistic plasma. We formulate equations of resistive force-free electrodynamics, discuss its relation to ideal electrodynamics, and give examples of both ideal and resistive equilibria. Resistive force-free current layers are unstable toward the development of small-scale current sheets where resistive effects become important. Thin current sheets are found to be unstable due to the development of resistive force-free tearing mode. The growth rate of tearing mode is intermediate between the short \Alfven time scale ${\tau }_A$ and a long resistive time scale ${\tau }_R$: $\Gamma \sim 1/({\tau }_R{\tau }_A{)}^{1/2}$, similar to the case of non-relativistic non-force-free plasma. We propose that growth of tearing mode is related to the typical rise time of flares, $\sim 10$ msec. Finally, we discuss how reconnection may explain other magnetar phenomena and ways to test the model.

27 pages, 3 figures, submitted to MNRAS

References in corpus (4)

• Magnetar-like X-ray Bursts from an Anomalous X-ray Pulsar
• Diagnosing magnetars with transient cooling
• The Crustal Rigidity of a Neutron Star, and Implications for PSR 1828-11 and other Precession Candidates
• Radio Emission from Magnetars

Cited by in corpus (179)

• An exceptionally bright flare from SGR1806-20 and the origins of short-duration gamma-ray bursts
• Producing ultra-strong magnetic fields in neutron star mergers
• Magnetars: the physics behind observations
• Science with ASKAP - the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder
• On the relativistic magnetic reconnection
• A Reconnection Switch to Trigger Gamma-Ray Burst Jet Dissipation
• Resistive Solutions for Pulsar Magnetospheres
• Non-thermal particle acceleration in collisionless relativistic electron-proton reconnection
• Simulations of Axisymmetric Magnetospheres of Neutron Stars
• Magnetar giant flares and afterglows as relativistic magnetized explosions
• Early evolution of newly born magnetars with a strong toroidal field
• Gravitational Radiation from Newborn Magnetars
• QPOs during magnetar flares are not driven by mechanical normal modes of the crust
• Impulsive Acceleration of Strongly Magnetized Relativistic Flows
• The electromagnetic model of Gamma Ray Bursts
• Toward a Realistic Pulsar Magnetosphere
• The Role of the Guide Field in Relativistic Pair Plasma Reconnection
• Magnetic Reconnection in Extreme Astrophysical Environments
• The Prelude to and Aftermath of the Giant Flare of 2004 December 27: Persistent and Pulsed X-ray Properties of SGR 1806-20 from 1993 to 2005
• A fully covariant mean-field dynamo closure for numerical 3+1 resistive GRMHD
• Dynamics of Strongly Twisted Relativistic Magnetospheres
• On the theory of magnetar QPOs
• Nonthermal Particle Acceleration in 3D Relativistic Magnetic Reconnection in Pair Plasma
• General Relativistic Force-Free Electrodynamics: A New Code and Applications to Black Hole Magnetospheres
• Plasma Physics of Extreme Astrophysical Environments
• The first outburst of the new magnetar candidate SGR 0501+4516
• Particle acceleration in the driven relativistic reconnection
• Turbulent Magnetic Reconnection in Two Dimensions
• Neutron star oscillations and QPOs during magnetar flares
• Tearing instability in relativistic magnetically dominated plasmas
• A XMM-Newton View of the Soft Gamma-ray Repeater SGR 1806--20: Long Term Variability in the pre-Super Giant Flare Epoch
• Magnetically-driven crustquakes in neutron stars
• X-ray Bursts from the Transient Magnetar Candidate XTE J1810-197
• Magnetars oscillations in the presence of a crust
• Fast reconnection in relativistic plasmas: the magnetohydrodynamics tearing instability revisited
• Variability from Nonaxisymmetric Fluctuations Interacting with Standing Shocks in Tilted Black Hole Accretion Disks
• Poloidal-Field Instability in Magnetized Relativistic Stars
• Introducing PHAEDRA: a new spectral code for simulations of relativistic magnetospheres
• 3XMM J185246.6+003317: another low magnetic field magnetar
• Theory of pulsar magnetosphere and wind
• Recent Progress on Particle Acceleration and Reconnection Physics during Magnetic Reconnectionin the Magnetically-dominated Relativistic Regime
• Particle acceleration in relativistic current sheets
• Magnetar Broadband X-ray Spectra Correlated with Magnetic Fields: Suzaku Archive of SGRs and AXPs Combined with NuSTAR, Swift, and RXTE
• Two-Fluid Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Relativistic Magnetic Reconnection
• Burst properties of the most recurring transient magnetar SGR J1935+2154
• Magnetic-field evolution in a plastically-failing neutron-star crust
• Magnetic Energy Release, Plasma Dynamics, and Particle Acceleration during Relativistic Turbulent Magnetic Reconnection
• Global Crustal Dynamics of Magnetars in Relation to their Bright X-ray Outbursts
• On the excitation of f-modes and torsional modes by magnetar giant flares
• Coherent emission in pulsars, magnetars and Fast Radio Bursts: reconnection-driven free electron laser
• Numerical simulations of high Lundquist number relativistic magnetic reconnection
• Magnetar-like X-ray Bursts from a Rotation Powered Pulsar, PSR J1119-6127
• Thermal-inertial effects on magnetic reconnection in relativistic pair plasmas
• Stochastic background of gravitational waves emitted by magnetars
• Quasi-Periodic Oscillations and broadband variability in short magnetar bursts
• The gamma-ray giant flare from SGR1806-20: Evidence for crustal cracking via initial timescales
• Dark photon superradiance: Electrodynamics and multimessenger signals
• GRB 200415A: A Short Gamma-Ray Burst from a Magnetar Giant Flare?
• Statistical properties magnetar bursts and FRB 121102
• Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in Short Recurring Bursts of the magnetars SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 Observed With RXTE
• Fast Radio Bursts' emission mechanism: implication from localization
• A Flux Rope Network and Particle Acceleration in Three Dimensional Relativistic Magnetic Reconnection
• On the dynamics of mechanical failures in magnetized neutron-star crusts
• Simulation of Relativistic Force-free Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence
• Slowly balding black holes
• Two years of INTEGRAL monitoring of the Soft Gamma-Ray Repeater SGR 1806-20: from quiescence to frenzy
• Particle-in-cell simulations of the twisted magnetospheres of magnetars
• A Comprehensive Study of Short Bursts from SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 Detected by HETE-2
• Deep NuSTAR and Swift Monitoring Observations of the Magnetar 1E 1841-045
• Theory of magnetic reconnection in solar and astrophysical plasmas
• Burst and Persistent Emission Properties during the Recent Active Episode of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1841-045
• SGR 1806-20 about two years after the giant flare: Suzaku, XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL observations
• A Magnetar Strength Surface Magnetic Field for the Slowly Spinning Down SGR 0418+5729
• On the trigger mechanisms for SGR giant flares
• Striped Blandford/Znajek jets from advection of small scale magnetic field
• Crust-magnetosphere coupling during magnetar evolution and implications for the surface temperature
• Magnetar field evolution and crustal plasticity
• Time resolved spectroscopy of SGR J1550-5418 bursts detected with Fermi/GBM
• Spectral and timing properties of the magnetar CXOU~J164710.2-455216
• Radiative Magnetic Reconnection in Astrophysics
• NuSTAR observations of X-ray bursts from the magnetar 1E 1048.1-5937
• Insight-HXMT dedicated 33-day observation of SGR J1935+2154 I. Burst Catalog
• Magnetar activity mediated by plastic deformations of neutron star crust
• Kinetic Beaming in Radiative Relativistic Magnetic Reconnection: A Mechanism for Rapid Gamma-Ray Flares in Jets
• The role of the Weibel instability at the reconnection jet front in relativistic pair plasma reconnection
• Hydromagnetic waves in a superfluid neutron star with strong vortex pinning
• Newborn Magnetars as sources of Gravitational Radiation: constraints from High Energy observations of Magnetar Candidates
• Gamma-ray Bursts Induced by Turbulent Reconnection
• Density-shear instability in electron MHD
• Multiwavelength observations of Fast Radio Bursts
• FRB 200428: an Impact between an Asteroid and a Magnetar
• ViDA: a Vlasov-DArwin solver for plasma physics at electron scales
• Self-regulation of the reconnecting current layer in relativistic pair plasma reconnection
• Chandra observations of SGR 1627-41 near quiescence
• Constraining the Origin of Magnetar Flares
• SGR1806-20: evidence for a superstrong Magnetic Field from Quasi Periodic Oscillations
• Explosive reconnection of double tearing modes in relativistic plasmas: application to the Crab flares
• Instability of twisted magnetar magnetospheres
• Konus-Wind observations of the new soft gamma-ray repeater SGR 0501+4516
• High-energy synchrotron flares powered by strongly radiative relativistic magnetic reconnection: 2D and 3D PIC simulations
• Millisecond Magnetars
• Dissecting magnetar variability with Bayesian hierarchical models
• Fermi-GBM Observations of the SGR J1935+2154 Burst Forest
• Explosive X-point collapse in relativistic magnetically-dominated plasma
• An MHD Model For Magnetar Giant Flares
• Detailed Investigations of the Dimmest Bursts from Two Magnetars, SGR J0501+4516 and SGR J1550-5418
• Axisymmetric force-free magnetosphere in the exterior of a neutron star
• Magnetic Field Evolution in Neutron Star Crusts: Beyond the Hall Effect
• On the spectrum and polarization of magnetar flare emission
• Early-time polarized optical light curve of GRB 131030A
• The impulsive phase of magnetar giant flares: assessing linear tearing as the trigger mechanism
• Relativistic coronal mass ejections from magnetars
• Relativistic Asymmetric Reconnection
• A multi-dimensional numerical scheme for two-fluid Relativistic MHD
• Short-lived Radio Bursts from the Crab Pulsar
• Possible role of magnetic reconnection in the electromagnetic counterpart of binary black hole merger
• The life cycle of magnetars: a novel approach to estimate their ages
• High sigma model of pulsar wind nebulae
• Computational General Relativistic Force-Free Electrodynamics: II. Characterization of Numerical Diffusivity
• The force-free twisted magnetosphere of a neutron star - II: Degeneracies of the Grad-Shafranov equation
• Spectral Comparison of Weak Short Bursts to the Persistent X-rays from the Magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408 in its 2009 Outburst
• Evolution of 3-dimensional Relativistic Current Sheets and Development of Self-Generated Turbulence
• Search for Long-duration Gravitational-wave Signals Associated with Magnetar Giant Flares
• Current-driven flare and CME models
• Fast dissipation of Colliding Alfvén Waves in a Magnetically Dominated Plasma
• Unveiling Soft Gamma-Ray Repeaters with INTEGRAL
• Topics in microphysics of relativistic plasmas
• Magnetic Energy Buildup for Relativistic Magnetar Giant Flares
• Strongly magnetized pulsars: explosive events and evolution
• Energy Partition of Thermal and Nonthermal Particles in Magnetic Reconnection
• Activated Magnetospheres of Magnetars
• Constraining the transient high-energy activity of FRB180916.J0158+65 with Insight-HXMT followup observations
• New candidates for magnetar counterparts from a deep search with the Hubble Space Telescope
• Modelling 3D Force-Free Neutron Star Magnetospheres
• Relativistic Fireball Reprise: Radio Suppression at the Onset of Short Magnetar Bursts
• Photospheric radius expansion during magnetar bursts
• Diffusivity in force-free simulations of global magnetospheres
• Radio Emission of Pulsars. I. Slow Tearing of a Quantizing Magnetic Field
• SGR 0418+5729 as an evolved Quark-Nova compact remnant
• On the connection between radiative outbursts and timing irregularities in magnetars
• Unveiling the emission properties of three long-period pulsars using FAST
• Magnetar Giant Flare Originated GRB 200415A: Transient GeV emission, Time-Resolved ${\mathrm{E}}_{\mathrm{p}}-{\mathrm{L}}_{\mathrm{iso}}$ Correlation, and Implications
• Broadband Spectral Investigations of Magnetar Bursts
• Comparison of magnetic diffusion and reconnection in ideal and resistive relativistic magnetohydrodynamics, ideal magnetodynamics, and resistive force-free electrodynamics
• X-ray burst and persistent emission properties of the magnetar SGR 1830-0645 in outburst
• The Evolution of High Temperature Plasma in Magnetar Magnetospheres and its Implications for Giant Flares
• Burst and Outburst Characteristics of Magnetar 4U 0142+61
• Magnetic Field Instabilities in Neutron Stars
• Model on pulsed GeV radiation from magnetars
• Torsional oscillations of magnetized neutron stars with mixed poloidal-toroidal fields
• Tilting Instability of Magnetically Confined Spheromaks
• Burst Tails from SGR J1550-5418 Observed with Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
• Variation of Spectral and Timing Properties in the Extended Burst Tails from the Magnetar 4U 0142+61
• Consequences of Energetic Magnetar-Like Outbursts of Nearby Neutron Stars: ${}^{14}$C Events and the Cosmic Electron Spectrum
• Axisymmetric force-free magnetosphere in the exterior of a neutron star II: Maximum storage and open field energies
• Computational General Relativistic Force-Free Electrodynamics: I. Multi-Coordinate Implementation and Testing
• Global current circuit structure in a resistive pulsar magnetosphere model
• General-relativistic magnetar magnetospheres in 3D with physics-informed neural networks
• Concise Spectrotemporal Studies of Magnetar SGR J1935+2154 Bursts
• Deep upper limit on the optical emission during a hard X-ray burst from the magnetar SGR J1935+2154
• Collisionless tearing instability in relativistic non-thermal pair plasma and its application to MHD turbulence
• Rotation and dispersion measure evolution of repeating fast radio bursts propagating through a magnetar flare ejecta
• Self-organized criticality in a spherically closed cellular automaton: Modeling soft gamma repeater bursts driven by magnetic reconnection
• Radio afterglow of magnetars' giant flares
• Magnetohydrodynamic stability of magnetars in the ultrastrong field regime II: The crust
• Repeating X-ray bursts: Interaction between a neutron star and clumps partially disrupted from a planet
• I. Inverse Compton origin of pulsar γ-ray emission. II. Reconnection model of Crab flares
• Similar Scale-invariant Behaviors between Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters and An Extreme Epoch from FRB 121102
• Energy Dependent Intensity Variation of the Persistent X-ray Emission of Magnetars Observed with Suzaku
• AstroSat observation of the magnetar SGR J1830$-$0645 during its first detected X-ray outburst
• Collisionless tearing instability in a relativistic pair plasma with a power-law distribution function
• 4XMM J175136.8-275858: A New Magnetar Candidate?
• A Criterion for Magnetars Producing Giant Flares
• The most distant optically polarised GRB afterglow: GRB 240419A at z = 5.178
• Correlation of Burst Behaviour with Magnetar Age
• Investigating the Recursive Short X-ray Burst Behavior of Magnetars Through Crustal Interactions
• An Extraordinary Outburst of the Magnetar Swift J1822.3-1606
• Current sheets, plasmoids and flux ropes in the heliosphere. Part II: Theoretical aspects
• Stratified Resistive Tearing Instability