A NEUTRON STAR–WHITE DWARF BINARY MODEL FOR REPEATING FAST RADIO BURST 121102

Journal Article · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8205/823/2/L28· OSTI ID:22654417

Gu, Wei-Min; Dong, Yi-Ze; Liu, Tong; Ma, Renyi; Wang, Junfeng ^[1]

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1. Department of Astronomy, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005 (China)

We propose a compact binary model for the fast radio burst (FRB) repeaters, where the system consists of a magnetic white dwarf (WD) and a neutron star (NS) with strong bipolar magnetic fields. When the WD fills its Roche lobe, mass transfer will occur from the WD to the NS through the inner Lagrange point. The accreted magnetized materials may trigger magnetic reconnection when they approach the NS surface, and therefore the electrons can be accelerated to an ultra-relativistic speed. In this scenario, the curvature radiation of the electrons moving along the NS magnetic field lines can account for the characteristic frequency and the timescale of an FRB. Owing to the conservation of angular momentum, the WD may be kicked away after a burst, and the next burst may appear when the system becomes semi-detached again through the gravitational radiation. By comparing our analyses with the observations, we show that such an intermittent Roche-lobe overflow mechanism can be responsible for the observed repeating behavior of FRB 121102.

• OSTI ID: 22654417
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 823, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ACCRETION DISKS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
GRAVITATIONAL RADIATION
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MASS TRANSFER
NEUTRON STARS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
ROCHE EQUIPOTENTIALS
SOLAR RADIO BURSTS
SURFACES
VELOCITY
WHITE DWARF STARS