BROADBAND X-RAY SPECTRAL INVESTIGATIONS OF MAGNETARS, 4U 0142+61, 1E 1841–045, 1E 2259+586, AND 1E 1048.1–5937

Journal Article · Thu Dec 10 04:00:00 EST 2015 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/815/1/15· OSTI ID:22521825

Weng, Shan-Shan ^[1]; Göğüş, Ersin ^[2]

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1. Department of Physics and Institute of Theoretical Physics, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023 (China)
2. Sabancı University, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Orhanlı,  Tuzla 34956, Istanbul (Turkey)

We have generated an extended version of a rather simplified but physically oriented three-dimensional magnetar emission model, STEMS3D, to allow spectral investigations up to 100 keV. We then applied our model to the broadband spectra of four magnetars: 4U 0142+61, 1E 1841–045, 1E 2259+586, and 1E 1048.1–5937, using data collected with Swift/XRT or XMM-Newton in soft X-rays, and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array in the hard X-ray band. We found that the hard X-ray emission of 4U 0142+61 was spectrally hard compared to earlier detections, indicating that the source was likely in a transition to or from a harder state. We find that the surface properties of the four magnetars are consistent with what we have obtained using only the soft X-ray data with STEMS3D, implying that our physically motivated magnetar emission model is a robust tool. Based on our broadband spectral investigations, we conclude that resonant scattering of the surface photons in the magnetosphere alone cannot account for the hard X-ray emission in magnetars; therefore, an additional non-thermal process, or a population of relativistic electrons is required. We also discuss the implication of the non-detection of persistent hard X-ray emission in 1E 1048.1–5937.

• OSTI ID: 22521825
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 815; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COSMIC NEUTRONS
COSMIC PHOTONS
DETECTION
EMISSION SPECTRA
HARD X RADIATION
KEV RANGE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC STARS
NEUTRON STARS
PULSARS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
RESONANCE SCATTERING
SOFT X RADIATION
TELESCOPES