Skip to content

Short-living supermassive magnetar model for the early X-ray flares following short GRBs

W. H. Gao, Y. Z. Fan

astro-pharXiv:astro-ph/0512646

Abstract

We suggest a short-living supermassive magnetar model to account for the X-ray flares following short γ-ray bursts. In this model, the central engine of the short γ-ray bursts is a supermassive millisecond magnetar. The X-ray flares are powered by the dipole radiation of the magnetar. When the magnetar has lost a significant part of its angular momentum, it collapses to a black hole and the X-ray flares disappear abruptly. Two important predictions of this model are (i) X-ray flares much more energetic than that detected in GRB 050724 may be detectable in the coming months and years by the XRT onboard Swift. (ii) The short GRBs with X-ray flares may occur outside of their host galaxy.

Create a lesson