Magnetar Spin‐Down, Hyperenergetic Supernovae, and Gamma‐Ray Bursts

Thompson, Todd A.; Chang, Philip; Quataert, Eliot

doi:10.1086/421969

Cited by 386 publications

(512 citation statements)

References 79 publications

(160 reference statements)

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“…Expanding upon this and a number of authors have suggested that magnetars may power superluminous type II and Ibc SNe (Thompson et al 2004;Woosley 2010;Kasen & Bildsten 2010;Gal-Yam 2012;Quimby et al 2011); indeed the 7.29 M progenitor model of Woosley (2010) is directly motivated by the presence of J1647-45 within Wd1. Moreover, Inserra et al (2013) studied the late-time lightcurves of five superluminous type Ic SNe, finding that the data are indeed consistent with these events being powered by the rapid spin-down of newly born magnetars (see also McCrum et al 2013;Nicholl et al 2013) Additionally, magnetars have also been proposed as the central engines of some gamma-ray bursts (GRBs; e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

A VLT/FLAMES survey for massive binaries in Westerlund 1

Clark

Ritchie

Najarro

et al. 2014

A&A

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Context. The first soft gamma-ray repeater was discovered over three decades ago, and was subsequently identified as a magnetar, a class of highly magnetised neutron star. It has been hypothesised that these stars power some of the brightest supernovae known, and that they may form the central engines of some long duration gamma-ray bursts. However there is currently no consenus on the formation channel(s) of these objects. Aims. The presence of a magnetar in the starburst cluster Westerlund 1 implies a progenitor with a mass ≥40 M , which favours its formation in a binary that was disrupted at supernova. To test this hypothesis we conducted a search for the putative pre-SN companion.Methods. This was accomplished via a radial velocity survey to identify high-velocity runaways, with subsequent non-LTE model atmosphere analysis of the resultant candidate, Wd1-5. Results. Wd1-5 closely resembles the primaries in the short-period binaries, Wd1-13 and 44, suggesting a similar evolutionary history, although it currently appears single. It is overluminous for its spectroscopic mass and we find evidence of He-and N-enrichement, O-depletion, and critically C-enrichment, a combination of properties that is difficult to explain under single star evolutionary paradigms. We infer a pre-SN history for Wd1-5 which supposes an initial close binary comprising two stars of comparable (∼41 M + 35 M ) masses. Efficient mass transfer from the initially more massive component leads to the mass-gainer evolving more rapidly, initiating luminous blue variable/common envelope evolution. Reverse, wind-driven mass transfer during its subsequent WC Wolf-Rayet phase leads to the carbon pollution of Wd1-5, before a type Ibc supernova disrupts the binary system. Under the assumption of a physical association between Wd1-5 and J1647-45, the secondary is identified as the magnetar progenitor; its common envelope evolutionary phase prevents spin-down of its core prior to SN and the seed magnetic field for the magnetar forms either in this phase or during the earlier episode of mass transfer in which it was spun-up. Conclusions. Our results suggest that binarity is a key ingredient in the formation of at least a subset of magnetars by preventing spin-down via core-coupling and potentially generating a seed magnetic field. The apparent formation of a magnetar in a Type Ibc supernova is consistent with recent suggestions that superluminous Type Ibc supernovae are powered by the rapid spin-down of these objects.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

A VLT/FLAMES survey for massive binaries in Westerlund 1

Clark

Ritchie

Najarro

et al. 2014

A&A

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“…This is expected because outflows with larger θ contribute a greater fraction of the total open solid angle of the magnetosphere and, to a lesser extent, because the mass loss rate per unit surface area is enhanced by magneto-centrifugal acceleration for larger θ ( Thompson et al 2004;Metzger et al 2007). …”

Section: Variation In Wind Properties Across the Magnetospherementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The birth of millisecond magnetars may also give rise to collimated relativistic jets, which in some cases are sufficiently powerful to break out of the progenitor stars and may power gamma-ray bursts (GRB; Usov 1992; Thompson et al 2004;Bucciantini et al 2008; Figure 11. Time-averaged mass fractions of α−particles, free neutrons and free protons in proto-magnetar winds.…”

Section: Gamma-ray Burst Engines and Uhecr Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 For rotation periods of P ∼ 1 − 2 ms, the ratio of the Poynting flux luminosity to the baryon loading of the magnetar wind is sufficiently high that the resulting jet could reach an asymptotic bulk Lorentz factor of Γ ≈ 100 − 1000 (e.g. Thompson et al 2004, Metzger et al 2007). show that this is sufficient to produce the observed gamma-ray emission and to accelerate nuclei within the jet to ultra-high energies ∼ > 10 19 eV per particle.…”

Section: Gamma-ray Burst Engines and Uhecr Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Beyond their role as possible sources of r-process nucleosynthesis and engines for powering luminous supernovae, millisecond magnetars are contenders for the central engines powering gammaray bursts (Usov 1992;Wheeler et al 2000;Thompson et al 2004;Metzger et al 2011a). If GRBs are indeed powered by the rotational energy of a magnetar, then the nucleosynthesis products of their winds will be directly entrained in the relativistic jet which escapes from the star and powers the prompt gamma-ray emission.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neutrino-heated winds from millisecond protomagnetars as sources of the weak r-process

Vlasov

Metzger

Lippuner

et al. 2017

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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We explore heavy element nucleosynthesis in neutrino-driven winds from rapidly-rotating, strongly magnetized proto-neutron stars ("millisecond proto-magnetars") for which the magnetic dipole is aligned with the rotation axis, and the field is assumed to be a static force-free configuration. We process the proto-magnetar wind trajectories calculated by Vlasov et al. (2014) through the r-process nuclear reaction network SkyNet using contemporary models for the evolution of the wind electron fraction during the proto-neutron star cooling phase. Although we do not find a successful second or third peak r-process for any rotation period P, we show that proto-magnetars with P ∼ 1 − 5 ms produce heavy element abundance distributions that extend to higher nuclear mass number than from otherwise equivalent spherical winds (with the mass fractions of some elements enhanced by factors of ∼ > 100 − 1000). The heaviest elements are synthesized by outflows emerging along flux tubes which graze the closed zone and pass near the equatorial plane outside the light cylinder. Due to dependence of the nucleosynthesis pattern on the magnetic field strength and rotation rate of the proto-neutron star, natural variations in these quantities between core collapse events could contribute to the observed diversity of the abundances of weak r-process nuclei in metal-poor stars. Further diversity, including possibly even a successful third-peak r-process, could be achieved for misaligned rotators with non-zero magnetic inclination with respect to the rotation axis. If proto-magnetars are central engines for GRBs, their relativistic jets should contain a high mass fraction of heavy nuclei of characteristic mass numberĀ ≈ 100, providing a possible source for ultra-high energy cosmic rays comprised of heavy nuclei with an energy spectrum that extends beyond the nominal GZK cut-off for protons or iron nuclei.

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Newborn magnetars as sources of gravitational radiation: constraints from high energy observations of magnetar candidates

Dall’Osso

Stella

2007

Isolated Neutron Stars: From the Surface to the Interior

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Two classes of high-energy sources, the Soft Gamma Repeaters and the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars are believed to contain slowly spinning "magnetars", i.e. neutron stars the emission of which derives from the release of energy from their extremely strong magnetic fields (> 10 15 G). The enormous energy liberated in the 2004 December 27 giant flare from SGR 1806-20 (∼ 5 × 10 46 erg), together with the likely recurrence time of such events, points to an internal magnetic field strength of ≥ 10 16 G. Such strong fields are expected to be generated by a coherent α − Ω dynamo in the early seconds after the Neutron Star (NS) formation, if its spin period is of a few milliseconds at most. A substantial deformation of the NS is caused by such fields and, provided the deformation axis is offset from the spin axis, a newborn millisecond-spinning magnetar would thus radiate for a few days a strong gravitational wave signal the frequency of which (∼ 0.5 − 2 kHz range) decreases in time. This signal could be detected with Advanced LIGO-class detectors up to the distance of the Virgo cluster, where ≥ 1 yr −1 magnetars are expected to form. Recent X-ray observations revealed that SNRs around magnetar candidates do not appear to have received a larger energy input than in standard SNRs (Vink & Kuiper 2006). This is at variance with what would be expected if the spin energy of the young, millisecond NS were radiated away as electromagnetic radiation andd/or relativistic particle winds. In fact, such energy would be transferred quickly and efficiently to the expanding gas shell. This may thus suggest that magnetars did not form with the expected very fast initial spin. We show here that these findings can be reconciled with the idea of magnetars being formed with fast spins, if most of their initial spin energy is radiated thorugh GWs. In particular, we find that this occurs for essentially the same parameter range that would make such objects detectable by Advanced LIGO-class detectors up to the Virgo Cluster. If our argument holds for at least a fraction of newly formed magnetars, then these objects constitute a promising new class of gravitational wave emitters.

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Magnetar Spin‐Down, Hyperenergetic Supernovae, and Gamma‐Ray Bursts

Cited by 386 publications

References 79 publications

A VLT/FLAMES survey for massive binaries in Westerlund 1

A VLT/FLAMES survey for massive binaries in Westerlund 1

Neutrino-heated winds from millisecond protomagnetars as sources of the weak r-process

Newborn magnetars as sources of gravitational radiation: constraints from high energy observations of magnetar candidates

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