Recent Progress on Anomalous X-ray Pulsars

Abstract

I review recent observational progress on Anomalous X-ray Pulsars, with an emphasis on timing, variability, and spectra. Highlighted results include the recent timing and flux stabilization of the notoriously unstable AXP 1E 1048.1-5937, the remarkable glitches seen in two AXPs, the newly recognized variety of AXP variability types, including outbursts, bursts, flares, and pulse profile changes, as well as recent discoveries regarding AXP spectra, including their surprising hard X-ray and far-infrared emission, as well as the pulsed radio emission seen in one source. Much has been learned about these enigmatic objects over the past few years, with the pace of discoveries remaining steady. However additional work on both observational and theoretical fronts is needed before we have a comprehensive understanding of AXPs and their place in the zoo of manifestations of young neutron stars.

10 pages, 6 figures; to appear in proceedings of the conference "Isolated Neutron Stars: From the Interior to the Surface" eds. S. Zane, R. Turolla, D. Page; Astrophysics & Space Science in press

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• Changes in the X-ray Emission from the Magnetar Candidate 1E 2259+586 during its 2002 Outburst
• Discovery of an Extraordinarily Massive Cluster of Red Supergiants
• Radio Quiet Pulsars with Ultra-Strong Magnetic Fields
• Resonant Cyclotron Scattering and Comptonization in Neutron Star Magnetospheres
• Discovery of hard non-thermal pulsed X-ray emission from the anomalous X-ray pulsar 1E 1841-045
• Long-Term RXTE Monitoring of Anomalous X-ray Pulsars
• Distances to Anomalous X-ray Pulsars using Red Clump Stars
• A Comprehensive Study of the X-ray Bursts from the Magnetar Candidate 1E 2259+586
• Transfer of Polarized Radiation in Strongly Magnetized Plasmas and Thermal Emission from Magnetars: Effect of Vacuum Polarization
• Discovery of Cyclotron Resonance Features in the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1806-20
• Imaging X-ray, Optical, and Infrared Observations of the Transient Anomalous X-ray Pulsar XTE J1810-197
• Surface Emission Properties of Strongly Magnetic Neutron Stars
• New Evidence for Proton Cyclotron Resonance in a Magnetar Strength Field from SGR 1806-20
• Precision Timing of Two Anomalous X-Ray Pulsars
• INTEGRAL/IBIS survey of the Sagittarius Arm Tangent region: A source catalog
• X-ray Bursts from the Transient Magnetar Candidate XTE J1810-197
• Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937: Pulsed Flux Flares and Large Torque Variations
• INTEGRAL discovery of persistent hard X-ray emission from the Soft Gamma Ray Repeater SGR 1806-20
• A supernova remnant coincident with the slow X-ray pulsar AX J1845-0258
• A Glitch in an Anomalous X-ray Pulsar
• Fading of the Transient Anomalous X-ray Pulsar XTE J1810-197
• Three XMM-Newton observations of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937: long term variations in spectrum and pulsed fraction
• Post-glitch variability in the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1RXS J170849.0-400910
• New limits on the orbital parameters of 1E1048.1-5937 and 1E2259+586 from RossiXTE observations
• The Multi-Component Nature of the Vela Pulsar Nonthermal X-ray Spectrum
• The detection of variability from the candidate IR counterpart to the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E1048.1-5937
• Long-Term RXTE Monitoring of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937
• Correlated Infrared and X-ray Flux Changes Following the 2002 June Outburst of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 2259+586
• Extinction Columns and Intrinsic X-ray Spectra of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars
• A Second Glitch from the "Anomalous" X-ray Pulsar 1RXS J170849.0-4000910
• Discovery of a 7 Second Anomalous X-ray Pulsar in the Distant Milky Way
• Anomalous X-ray Pulsars and Soft gamma-ray Repeaters: Spectral Fits and the Magnetar Model
• Infrared and X-ray variability of the transient Anomalous X-ray Pulsar XTE J1810-197
• Multi-wavelength variability of the magnetar 4U 0142+61
• The Likely Near-Infrared Counterpart to the Anomalous X-Ray Pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937
• Chandra Observation of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1841-045
• Pronounced long term flux variability of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E1048.1-5937
• The Broad-Band Spectrum and Infrared Variability of the Magnetar AXP 1E1048.1-5937
• High-speed, multi-colour optical photometry of the anomalous X-ray pulsar 4U 0142+61 with ULTRACAM
• Search for radio pulsations in four Anomalous X-ray Pulsars and discovery of two new pulsars
• Study of the Long Term Stability of two Anomalous X-ray Pulsars 4U 0142+61 and 1E 1048.1-5937 with ASCA
• A Variable Infrared Counterpart to the Soft Gamma-ray Repeater SGR 1806-20
• A Burst and Simultaneous Short-Term Pulsed Flux Enhancement from the Magnetar Candidate 1E 1048.1-5937
• Pulse Profile Change Possibly Associated with a Glitch in an Anomalous X-Ray Pulsar 4U 0142+61
• The pulse phase-dependent spectrum of the anomalous X-ray pulsar 1RXS J170849-400910
• X-Ray and Infrared Enhancement of Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 2259+58
• Differences between the Two Anomalous X-Ray Pulsars: Variations in the Spin Down Rate of 1E 1048.1-5937 and An Extended Interval of Quiet Spin Down in 1E 2259+586
• The two-component X-ray spectrum of the 6.4 s pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937

Cited by in corpus (62)

• The strongest cosmic magnets: Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars
• Magnetars: the physics behind observations
• Untwisting magnetospheres of neutron stars
• Population synthesis studies of isolated neutron stars with magnetic field decay
• The magnetar XTE J1810-197: variations in torque, radio flux density and pulse profile morphology
• The first outburst of the new magnetar candidate SGR 0501+4516
• Detailed high-energy characteristics of AXP 4U 0142+61 - Multi-year observations with INTEGRAL, RXTE, XMM-Newton and ASCA
• The impact of magnetic field on the thermal evolution of neutron stars
• Outburst of the 2 s Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1547.0-5408
• RXTE Monitoring of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937: Long-Term Variability and the 2007 March Event
• Double-slit vacuum polarisation effects in ultra-intense laser fields
• Detailed high-energy characteristics of AXP 1RXS J170849-400910 - Probing the magnetosphere using INTEGRAL, RXTE and XMM-Newton
• Magnetar Broadband X-ray Spectra Correlated with Magnetic Fields: Suzaku Archive of SGRs and AXPs Combined with NuSTAR, Swift, and RXTE
• The X-Ray Polarization Signature of Quiescent Magnetars: Effect of Magnetospheric Scattering and Vacuum Polarization
• The 2006-2007 Active Phase of Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 4U 0142+61: Radiative and Timing Changes, Bursts, and Burst Spectral Features
• Constraints on the Emission and Viewing Geometry of the Transient Anomalous X-ray Pulsar XTE J1810-197
• The Magnetar Nature and the Outburst Mechanism of a Transient Anomalous X-ray Pulsar
• Accreting magnetars: a new type of high-mass X-ray binaries?
• Chandra and RXTE Observations of 1E 1547.0-5408: Comparing the 2008 and 2009 Outbursts
• RXTE Observations of Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1547.0-5408 During and After its 2008 and 2009 Outbursts
• Multi-instrument X-ray monitoring of the January 2009 outburst from the recurrent magnetar candidate 1E 1547.0-5408
• Deep NuSTAR and Swift Monitoring Observations of the Magnetar 1E 1841-045
• Long-Term X-ray Monitoring of the Young Pulsar PSR B1509-58
• XMM-Newton observations of CXOU J010043.1-721134: the first deep look at the soft X-ray emission of a magnetar
• Chandra Observations of the High-Magnetic-Field Radio Pulsar J1718-3718
• Pulsars and magnetars
• The Energy Spectrum of Anomalous X-ray Pulsars and Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters
• Temporal and spectral evolution in X- and gamma-rays of magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408 since its October 2008 outburst: the discovery of a transient hard pulsed component after its January 2009 outburst
• Models of magnetized neutron star atmospheres: thin atmospheres and partially ionized hydrogen atmospheres with vacuum polarization
• Long-term X-ray changes in the emission from the anomalous X-ray pulsar 4U 0142+61
• Intensity-hardness correlation and deep infrared observation of the anomalous X-ray pulsar 1RXS J170849-400910
• Physical Properties of the AXP 4U 0142+61 from X-ray Spectral Analysis
• X-ray emission from isolated neutron stars
• Dissecting the region of 3EG J1837-0423 and HESS J1841-055 with INTEGRAL
• On the X-Ray Light Curve, Pulsed-Radio Emission, and Spin Frequency Evolution of the Transient Anomalous X-Ray Pulsar Xte J1810--197 During its X-Ray Outburst
• Chandra observations of SGR 1627-41 near quiescence
• Constraining Radio Emission from Magnetars
• Optical/Infrared Observations of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937 During Its 2007 X-Ray Flare
• XMM-Newton observations of Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters
• Hardness-Intensity Correlations in Magnetar Afterglows
• Magnetic Field-Decay-Induced Electron Captures: a Strong Heat Source in Magnetar Crusts
• Magnetic Domains in Magnetar Matter as an Engine for Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars
• Scientific Objectives of the Hot Universe Baryon Surveyor (HUBS) Mission
• A new look at Anomalous X-ray Pulsars
• Effect of the $\delta$-meson on the instabilities of nuclear matter under strong magnetic fields
• XMM-Newton X-ray Observation of the High-Magnetic-Field Radio Pulsar PSR J1734--3333
• XMM-Newton X-ray Detection of the High Magnetic Field Radio Pulsar PSR B1916+14
• Twist-induced Magnetosphere Reconfiguration for Intermittent Pulsars
• Spitzer Mid-infrared Upper Limits on Anomalous X-Ray Pulsars 1E 1048.1-5937, 1RXS J170849-400910, and XTE J1810-197
• Searching for X-ray Variability in the Glitching Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1841-045 in Kes 73
• An Overview of Compact Star Populations and Some of Its Open Problems
• Searching for Debris Disks around Isolated Pulsars
• Saturated symmetric nuclear matter in strong magnetic fields
• Search for Mid-IR Flux Variations from The Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 4U 0142+61
• Model on pulsed GeV radiation from magnetars
• Variable Absorption Line in XTE J1810-197
• Quark-nova remnants IV: Application to radio emitting AXP transients
• Models of magnetized neutron star atmospheres
• High Energy Neutrinos and Photons from Curvature Pions in Magnetars
• Sub-MeV Band Observation of a Hard Burst from AXP 1E 1547.0-5408 with the Suzaku Wide-band All-sky Monitor
• Subaru constraint on circular polarization in I-band emission from the Magnetar 4U 0142+61
• Mapping the Surface of the Magnetar 1E 1048.1-5937 in Outburst and Quiescence Through Phase Resolved X-ray Spectroscopy