Intermittency and lifetime of the 625 Hz quasi-periodic oscillation in the 2004 hyperflare from the magnetar SGR 1806-20 as evidence for magnetic coupling between the crust and the core
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH (Netherlands)
- Monash Center for Astrophysics and School of Physics, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 (Australia)
Quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) detected in the 2004 giant flare from SGR 1806-20 are often interpreted as global magneto-elastic oscillations of the neutron star. There is, however, a large discrepancy between theoretical models, which predict that the highest frequency oscillations should die out rapidly, and the observations, which suggested that the highest-frequency signals persisted for ∼100 s in X-ray data from two different spacecraft. This discrepancy is particularly important for the high-frequency QPO at ∼625 Hz. However, previous analyses did not systematically test whether the signal could also be present in much shorter data segments, more consistent with the theoretical predictions. Here, we test for the presence of the high-frequency QPO at 625 Hz in data from both the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) systematically both in individual rotational cycles of the neutron star, as well as averaged over multiple successive rotational cycles at the same phase. We find that the QPO in the RXTE data is consistent with being only present in a single cycle, for a short duration of ∼0.5 s, whereas the RHESSI data are as consistent with a short-lived signal that appears and disappears as with a long-lived QPO. Taken together, this data provides evidence for strong magnetic interaction between the crust and the core.
- OSTI ID:
- 22370530
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 793, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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