Robert C. Duncan

Formation of very strongly magnetized neutron stars - Implications for gamma-ray bursts

It is proposed that the main observational signature of magnetars, high-field neutron stars, is gamma-ray bursts powered by their vast reservoirs of magnetic energy. If they acquire large recoils, most magnetars are unbound from the Galaxy or reside in an extended, weakly bound Galactic corona. There is evidence that the soft gamma repeaters are young magnetars. It is argued that a convective dynamo can also generate a very strong dipole field after the merger of a neutron star binary, but only if the merged star survives for as long as about 10-100 ms. Several mechanisms which could impart a large recoil to these stars at birth, sufficient to escape from the Galactic disk, are discussed.

The Soft Gamma Repeaters as Very Strongly Magnetized Neutron Stars. II. Quiescent Neutrino, X-Ray, and Alfvén Wave Emission

We calculate the quiescent X-ray, neutrino, and Alfven wave emission from a neutron star with a very strong magnetic field, Bdipole ~ 1014 − 1015 G and Binterior ~ (5–10) × 1015 G. These results are compared with observations of quiescent emission from the soft gamma repeaters and from a small class of anomalous X-ray pulsars that we have previously identified with such objects. The magnetic field, rather than rotation, provides the main source of free energy, and the decaying field is capable of powering the quiescent X-ray emission and particle emission observed from these sources. New features that are not present in the decay of the weaker fields associated with ordinary radio pulsars include fracturing of the neutron star crust, strong heating of its core, and effective suppression of thermal conduction perpendicular to the magnetic field. As the magnetic field is forced through the crust by diffusive motions in the core, multiple small-scale fractures are excited, as well as a few large fractures that can power soft gamma repeater bursts. The decay rate of the core field is a very strong function of temperature and therefore of the magnetic flux density. The strongest prediction of the model is that these sources will show no optical emissions associated with X-ray heating of an accretion disk.

Neutron star dynamos and the origins of pulsar magnetism

Neutron star convection is a transient phenomenon and has an extremely high magnetic Reynolds number. In this sense, a neutron star dynamo is the quintessential fast dynamo. The convective motions are only mildly turbulent on scales larger than the approximately 100 cm neutrino mean free path, but the turbulence is well developed on smaller scales. Several fundamental issues in the theory of fast dynamos are raised in the study of a neutron star dynamo, in particular the possibility of dynamo action in mirror-symmetric turbulence. It is argued that in any high magnetic Reynolds number dynamo, most of the magnetic energy becomes concentrated in thin flux ropes when the field pressure exceeds the turbulent pressure at the smallest scale of turbulence. In addition, the possibilities for dynamo action during the various (pre-collapse) stages of convective motion that occur in the evolution of a massive star are examined, and the properties of white dwarf and neutron star progenitors are contrasted.

Quasar ionization of Lyman-alpha clouds - the proximity effect, a probe of the ultraviolet background at high redshift

The distribution of lines in the Ly-alpha forests in quasar spectra is examined using spectral data from 19 quasars with emission lines redshifts z sub Q ranging from 1.7 to 3.8. The number density of Ly-alpha lines generally increases with resdhift z, but there exists a countervailing trend of diminishing number density within individual quasar spectra as z tends to z sub Q. Evidence is presented that this countervailing trend is due to enhanced ionization of Ly-alpha clouds by the bright nearby quasars in whose spectra they are observed. It is suggested that this proximity effect should be used as a powerful tool to measure locally the ionizing flux emitted by high-redshift objects. 44 references.

Global Seismic Oscillations in Soft Gamma Repeaters

There is evidence that soft gamma repeaters (SGRs) are neutron stars that experience frequent starquakes, possibly driven by an evolving, ultrastrong magnetic field. The empirical power-law distribution of SGR burst energies, analogous to the Gutenberg-Richter law for earthquakes, exhibits a turnover at high energies, consistent with a global limit on the crust fracture size. With such large starquakes occurring, the significant excitation of global seismic oscillations (GSOs) seems likely. Moreover, GSOs may be self-exciting in a stellar crust that is strained by many randomly oriented stresses. We explain why low-order toroidal modes, which preserve the shape of the star and have observable frequencies as low as ~30 Hz, may be especially susceptible to excitation. We estimate the eigenfrequencies as a function of stellar mass and radius, as well as their magnetic and rotational shiftings/splittings. We also describe ways in which these modes might be detected and damped. There is marginal evidence for 23 ms oscillations in the hard initial pulse of the 1979 March 5 event. This could be due to the 3t0 mode in a neutron star with B ~1014 G or less, or it could be the fundamental toroidal mode if the field in the deep crust of SGR 0526-66 is ~4 × 1015 G, in agreement with other evidence. If confirmed, GSOs would give corroborating evidence for crust-fracturing magnetic fields in SGRs: B 1014 G.

Physical Mechanisms for the Variable Spin-down and Light Curve of SGR 1900+14

We consider the physical implications of the rapid spin-down of soft gamma repeater SGR 1900+14 reported by Woods and colleagues in 1999. During an 80 day interval between 1998 June and the large outburst on 1998 August 27, the mean spin-down rate increased by a factor of 2.3, resulting in a positive period offset of ΔP/P = 10-4. A radiation-hydrodynamical outflow associated with the August 27 event could impart the required torque, but only if the dipole magnetic field is stronger than ~1014 G and the outflow lasts longer and/or is more energetic than the observed X-ray flare. A positive period increment is also a natural consequence of a gradual, plastic deformation of the neutron star crust by an intense magnetic field, which forces the neutron superfluid to rotate more slowly than the crust. Sudden unpinning of the neutron vortex lines during the August 27 event would then induce a glitch opposite in sign to those observed in young pulsars, but of a much larger magnitude as a result of the slower rotation. The change in the persistent X-ray light curve following the August 27 event is ascribed to continued particle heating in the active region of that outburst. The enhanced X-ray output can be powered by a steady current flowing through the magnetosphere, induced by the twisting motion of the crust. The long-term rate of spin-down appears to be accelerated with respect to a simple magnetic dipole torque. Accelerated spin-down of a seismically active magnetar will occur when its persistent output of Alfven waves and particles exceeds its spin-down luminosity or if particle flows modulate the ratio of conduction to displacement currents in the outer magnetosphere. We suggest that SGRs experience some episodes of relative inactivity, with diminished , and that such inactive magnetars are observed as anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs). The reappearance of persistent X-ray emission from SGR 1900+14 within one day of the August 27 event provides strong evidence that the persistent emission is not powered by accretion.

Neutrino-driven winds from young, hot neutron stars

Questions raised by the study of Salpeter and Shapiro (1981) of neutrino and photon emission from a young, hot neutron star are addressed. The general coupled hydrodynamical-radiative transport equations for this emission are presented, and it is shown how these equations reduce to those of Salpeter and Shapiro in the plane-parallel, hydrostatic limit. It is demonstrated that the photon flux cannot be reduced to sub-Eddington levels by discarding the plane-parallel limit and allowing a static atmosphere to puff out to large radius or even by including convective energy transport. This emphasizes the need for dynamical outflow solutions, which are determined numerically. Simple analytic scaling laws which approximate the numerical results are derived. 8 references.

Spectroscopy of the double quasars Q1343+266A, B: A new determination of the size of Lyman-alpha forest absorbers

We have obtained spectroscopy of Q 1343+266 AB, a pair of quasars at redshift z = 2.03 with a projected separation of 9.5 arcseconds. This system is well-suited for probing the Ly-alpha forest, since the two component spectra show several Ly-alpha lines in common and several others not. Using Bayesian statistics, under the idealization of uniform-radius spherical absorbers, we find that the Ly-alpha cloud radius at

Temporal and Spectral Characteristics of Short Bursts from the Soft Gamma Repeaters 1806?20 and 1900+14

z \approx 1.8

The Size and Nature of Lyman- alpha Forest Clouds Probed by QSO Pairs and Groups

lies in the range