Browsing by Author "Wadiasingh, Zorawar"
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Item Compton scattering in strong magnetic fields: Spin-dependent influences at the cyclotron resonance(American Physical Society, 2014) Gonthier, Peter L.; Baring, Matthew G.; Eiles, Matthew T.; Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Taylor, Caitlin A.; Fitch, Catherine J.The quantum electrodynamical (QED) process of Compton scattering in strong magnetic fields is commonly invoked in atmospheric and inner magnetospheric models of x-ray and soft gamma-ray emission in high-field pulsars and magnetars. A major influence of the field is to introduce resonances at the cyclotron frequency and its harmonics, where the incoming photon accesses thresholds for the creation of virtual electrons or positrons in intermediate states with excited Landau levels. At these resonances, the effective cross section typically exceeds the classical Thomson value by over 2 orders of magnitude. Near and above the quantum critical magnetic field of 44.13 TeraGauss, relativistic corrections must be incorporated when computing this cross section. This profound enhancement underpins the anticipation that resonant Compton scattering is a very efficient process in the environs of highly magnetized neutron stars. This paper presents formalism for the QED magnetic Compton differential cross section valid for both subcritical and supercritical fields, yet restricted to scattered photons that are below pair creation threshold. Calculations are developed for the particular case of photons initially propagating along the field, and in the limit of zero vacuum dispersion, mathematically simple specializations that are germane to interactions involving relativistic electrons frequently found in neutron star magnetospheres. This exposition of relativistic, quantum, magnetic Compton cross sections treats electron spin dependence fully, since this is a critical feature for describing the finite decay lifetimes of the intermediate states. Such lifetimes are introduced to truncate the resonant cyclotronic divergences via standard Lorentz profiles. The formalism employs both the traditional Johnson and Lippmann (JL) wave functions and the Sokolov and Ternov (ST) electron eigenfunctions of the magnetic Dirac equation. The ST states are formally correct for self-consistently treating spin-dependent effects that are so important in the resonances. It is found that the values of the polarization-dependent differential cross section depend significantly on the choice of ST or JL eigenstates when in the fundamental resonance but not outside of it, a characteristic that is naturally expected. Relatively compact analytic forms for the cross sections are presented that will prove useful for astrophysical modelers.Item GRB 180128A: A second magnetar giant flare candidate from the Sculptor Galaxy(EDP Sciences, 2024) Trigg, Aaron C.; Burns, Eric; Roberts, Oliver J.; Negro, Michela; Svinkin, Dmitry S.; Baring, Matthew G.; Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Christensen, Nelson L.; Andreoni, Igor; Briggs, Michael S.; Lalla, Niccolò Di; Frederiks, Dmitry D.; Lipunov, Vladimir M.; Omodei, Nicola; Ridnaia, Anna V.; Veres, Peter; Lysenko, Alexandra L.Magnetars are slowly rotating neutron stars that possess the strongest magnetic fields known in the cosmos (10 14 − 10 15 G). They display a range of transient high-energy electromagnetic activity. The brightest and most energetic of these events are the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) known as magnetar giant flares (MGFs), with isotropic energies E iso ≈ 10 44 − 10 46 erg. Only seven MGF detections have been made to date: three unambiguous events occurred in our Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds, and the other four MGF candidates are associated with nearby star-forming galaxies. As all seven identified MGFs are bright at Earth, additional weaker events likely remain unidentified in archival data. We conducted a search of the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor database for candidate extragalactic MGFs and, when possible, collected localization data from the Interplanetary Network (IPN) satellites. Our search yielded one convincing event, GRB 180128A. IPN localizes this burst within NGC 253, commonly known as the Sculptor Galaxy. The event is the second MGF in modern astronomy to be associated with this galaxy and the first time two bursts have been associated with a single galaxy outside our own. Here we detail the archival search criteria that uncovered this event and its spectral and temporal properties, which are consistent with expectations for a MGF. We also discuss the theoretical implications and finer burst structures resolved from various binning methods. Our analysis provides observational evidence of an eighth identified MGF.Item Improving the Low-energy Transient Sensitivity of AMEGO-X using Single-site Events(IOP Publishing, 2022) Martinez-Castellanos, I.; Fleischhack, Henrike; Karwin, C.; Negro, M.; Tak, D.; Lien, Amy; Kierans, C. A.; Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Ajello, Marco; Baring, Matthew G.; Burns, E.; Caputo, R.; Hartmann, Dieter H.; Perkins, Jeremy S.; Racusin, Judith L.; Sheng, YongAMEGO-X, the All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory eXplorer, is a proposed instrument designed to bridge the so-called "MeV gap" by surveying the sky with unprecedented sensitivity from ∼100 keV to about 1 GeV. This energy band is of key importance for multimessenger and multiwavelength studies but it is nevertheless currently underexplored. AMEGO-X addresses this situation by proposing a design capable of detecting and imaging gamma rays via both Compton interactions and pair production processes. However, some of the objects that AMEGO-X will study, such as gamma-ray bursts and magnetars, extend to energies below ∼100 keV where the dominant interaction becomes photoelectric absorption. These events deposit their energy in a single pixel of the detector. In this work we show how the ∼3500 cm2 effective area of the AMEGO-X tracker to events between ∼25 and ∼100 keV will be utilized to significantly improve its sensitivity and expand the energy range for transient phenomena. Although imaging is not possible for single-site events, we show how we will localize a transient source in the sky using their aggregate signal to within a few degrees. This technique will more than double the number of cosmological gamma-ray bursts seen by AMEGO-X, allow us to detect and resolve the pulsating tails of extragalactic magnetar giant flares, and increase the number of detected less-energetic magnetar bursts—some possibly associated with fast radio bursts. Overall, single-site events will increase the sensitive energy range, expand the science program, and promptly alert the community of fainter transient events.Item Pulse Peak Migration during the Outburst Decay of the Magnetar SGR 1830-0645: Crustal Motion and Magnetospheric Untwisting(IOP Publishing, 2022) Younes, George; Lander, Samuel K.; Baring, Matthew G.; Enoto, Teruaki; Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Ho, Wynn C. G.; Harding, Alice K.; Arzoumanian, Zaven; Gendreau, Keith; Güver, Tolga; Hu, Chin-Ping; Malacaria, Christian; Ray, Paul S.; Strohmayer, Tod E.Magnetars, isolated neutron stars with magnetic-field strengths typically ≳1014 G, exhibit distinctive months-long outburst epochs during which strong evolution of soft X-ray pulse profiles, along with nonthermal magnetospheric emission components, is often observed. Using near-daily NICER observations of the magnetar SGR 1830-0645 during the first 37 days of a recent outburst decay, a pulse peak migration in phase is clearly observed, transforming the pulse shape from an initially triple-peaked to a single-peaked profile. Such peak merging has not been seen before for a magnetar. Our high-resolution phase-resolved spectroscopic analysis reveals no significant evolution of temperature despite the complex initial pulse shape, yet the inferred surface hot spots shrink during peak migration and outburst decay. We suggest two possible origins for this evolution. For internal heating of the surface, tectonic motion of the crust may be its underlying cause. The inferred speed of this crustal motion is ≲100 m day−1, constraining the density of the driving region to ρ ∼ 1010 g cm−3, at a depth of ∼200 m. Alternatively, the hot spots could be heated by particle bombardment from a twisted magnetosphere possessing flux tubes or ropes, somewhat resembling solar coronal loops, that untwist and dissipate on the 30–40 day timescale. The peak migration may then be due to a combination of field-line footpoint motion (necessarily driven by crustal motion) and evolving surface radiation beaming. This novel data set paints a vivid picture of the dynamics associated with magnetar outbursts, yet it also highlights the need for a more generic theoretical picture where magnetosphere and crust are considered in tandem.Item Resonant Compton Scattering in Highly-Magnetized Pulsars(2014-04-24) Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Baring, Matthew G.; Liang, Edison P.; Wolf, MichaelSoft gamma repeaters and anomalous X-ray pulsars are subset of slow-rotating neutron stars, known as magnetars, that have extremely high inferred surface magnetic fields, of the order 100-1000 TeraGauss. Hard, non-thermal and pulsed persistent X-ray emission extending between 10 keV and 230 keV has been seen in a number of magnetars by RXTE, INTEGRAL, and Suzaku. In this thesis, the author considers inner magnetospheric models of such persistent hard X-ray emission where resonant Compton upscattering of soft thermal photons is anticipated to be the most efficient radiative process. This high efficiency is due to the relative proximity of the surface thermal photons, and also because the scattering becomes resonant at the cyclotron frequency. At the cyclotron resonance, the effective cross section exceeds the classical Thomson one by over two orders of magnitude, thereby enhancing the efficiency of continuum production and cooling of relativistic electrons. In this thesis, a new Sokolov and Ternov formulation of the QED Compton scattering cross section for strong magnetic fields is employed in electron cooling and emission spectra calculations. This formalism is formally correct for treating spin-dependent effects and decay rates that are important at the cyclotron resonance. The author presents electron cooling rates at arbitrary interaction points in a magnetosphere using the QED cross sections. The QED effects reduce the rates below high-field extrapolations of older magnetic Thomson results. The author also computes angle-dependent upscattering model spectra, formed using collisional integrals, for uncooled monoenergetic relativistic electrons injected in inner regions of pulsar magnetospheres. These spectra are integrated over closed field lines and obtained for different observing perspectives. The spectral cut-off energies are critically dependent on the observer viewing angles and electron Lorentz factor. It is found that electrons with energies less than around 15 MeV will emit most of their radiation below 250 keV, consistent with the observed turnovers in magnetar hard X-ray tails. Moreover, electrons of higher energy still emit most of the radiation below 1 MeV, except for very select viewing perspectives that sample tangents to field lines. This small parameter space makes it difficult to observe signals extending into the Fermi-LAT band. Polarization dependence in spectra is illustrated, offering potential constraints for models of magnetar emission in anticipation of a future hard X-ray polarimetry missions.Item Resonant Inverse Compton Scattering Spectra from Highly Magnetized Neutron Stars(IOP Publishing, 2018) Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Baring, Matthew G.; Gonthier, Peter L.; Harding, Alice K.Hard, nonthermal, persistent pulsed X-ray emission extending between 10 and ~150 keV has been observed in nearly 10 magnetars. For inner-magnetospheric models of such emission, resonant inverse Compton scattering of soft thermal photons by ultrarelativistic charges is the most efficient production mechanism. We present angle-dependent upscattering spectra and pulsed intensity maps for uncooled, relativistic electrons injected in inner regions of magnetar magnetospheres, calculated using collisional integrals over field loops. Our computations employ a new formulation of the QED Compton scattering cross section in strong magnetic fields that is physically correct for treating important spin-dependent effects in the cyclotron resonance, thereby producing correct photon spectra. The spectral cutoff energies are sensitive to the choices of observer viewing geometry, electron Lorentz factor, and scattering kinematics. We find that electrons with energiesᅠlesssim15 MeV will emit most of their radiation below 250 keV, consistent with inferred turnovers for magnetar hard X-ray tails. More energetic electrons still emit mostly below 1 MeV, except for viewing perspectives sampling field-line tangents. Pulse profiles may be singly or doubly peaked dependent on viewing geometry, emission locale, and observed energy band. Magnetic pair production and photon splitting will attenuate spectra to hard X-ray energies, suppressing signals in theᅠFermi-LAT band. The resonant Compton spectra are strongly polarized, suggesting that hard X-ray polarimetry instruments such as X-Calibur, or a future Compton telescope, can prove central to constraining model geometry and physics.Item The 2022 High-energy Outburst and Radio Disappearing Act of the Magnetar 1E 1547.0–5408(IOP Publishing, 2023) Lower, Marcus E.; Younes, George; Scholz, Paul; Camilo, Fernando; Dunn, Liam; Johnston, Simon; Enoto, Teruaki; Sarkissian, John M.; Reynolds, John E.; Palmer, David M.; Arzoumanian, Zaven; Baring, Matthew G.; Gendreau, Keith; Göğüş, Ersin; Guillot, Sebastien; Horst, Alexander J. van der; Hu, Chin-Ping; Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Lin, Lin; Malacaria, Christian; Stewart, Rachael; Wadiasingh, ZorawarWe report the radio and high-energy properties of a new outburst from the radio-loud magnetar 1E 1547.0−5408. Following the detection of a short burst from the source with Swift-BAT on 2022 April 7, observations by NICER detected an increased flux peaking at (6.0 ± 0.4) × 10−11 erg s−1 cm−2 in the soft X-ray band, falling to a baseline level of 1.7 × 10−11 erg s−1 cm−2 over a 17 day period. Joint spectroscopic measurements by NICER and NuSTAR indicated no change in the hard nonthermal tail despite the prominent increase in soft X-rays. Observations at radio wavelengths with Murriyang, the 64 m Parkes radio telescope, revealed that the persistent radio emission from the magnetar disappeared at least 22 days prior to the initial Swift-BAT detection and was redetected two weeks later. Such behavior is unprecedented in a radio-loud magnetar, and may point to an unnoticed slow rise in the high-energy activity prior to the detected short bursts. Finally, our combined radio and X-ray timing revealed the outburst coincided with a spin-up glitch, where the spin frequency and spin-down rate increased by 0.2 ± 0.1 μHz and (−2.4 ± 0.1) × 10−12 s−2, respectively. A linear increase in the spin-down rate of (−2.0 ± 0.1) × 10−19 s−3 was also observed over 147 days of postoutburst timing. Our results suggest that the outburst may have been associated with a reconfiguration of the quasi-polar field lines, likely signaling a changing twist, accompanied by spatially broader heating of the surface and a brief quenching of the radio signal, yet without any measurable impact on the hard X-ray properties.Item The role of magnetar transient activity in time-domain and multimessenger astronomy(Frontiers Media S.A., 2024) Negro, Michela; Younes, George; Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Burns, Eric; Trigg, Aaron; Baring, MatthewTime-domain and multimessenger astronomy (TDAMM) involves the study of transient and time-variable phenomena across various wavelengths and messengers. The Astro2020 Decadal Survey has identified TDAMM as the top priority for NASA in this decade, emphasizing its crucial role in advancing our understanding of the universe and driving new discoveries in astrophysics. The TDAMM community has come together to provide further guidance to funding agencies, aiming to define a clear path toward optimizing scientific returns in this research domain. This encompasses not only astronomy but also fundamental physics, offering insights into properties of gravity, the formation of heavy elements, the equation of state of dense matter, and quantum effects associated with extreme magnetic fields. Magnetars, neutron stars with the strongest magnetic fields in the universe, play a critical role in this context. We aim to underscore the significance of magnetars in TDAMM, highlighting the necessity of ensuring observational continuity, addressing current limitations, and outlining essential requirements to expand our knowledge in this field.Item X-Ray Burst and Persistent Emission Properties of the Magnetar SGR 1830-0645 in Outburst(IOP Publishing, 2022) Younes, George; Hu, Chin-Ping; Bansal, Karishma; Ray, Paul S.; Pearlman, Aaron B.; Kirsten, Franz; Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Göğüş, Ersin; Baring, Matthew G.; Enoto, Teruaki; Arzoumanian, Zaven; Gendreau, Keith C.; Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Güver, Tolga; Harding, Alice K.; Majid, Walid A.; Blumer, Harsha; Hessels, Jason W.T.; Gawroński, Marcin P.; Bezrukovs, Vladislavs; Orbidans, ArtursWe report on NICER X-ray monitoring of the magnetar SGR 1830−0645 covering 223 days following its 2020 October outburst, as well as Chandra and radio observations. We present the most accurate spin ephemerides of the source so far: ν = 0.096008680(2) Hz, Hz s−1, and significant second and third frequency derivative terms indicative of nonnegligible timing noise. The phase-averaged 0.8–7 keV spectrum is well fit with a double-blackbody (BB) model throughout the campaign. The BB temperatures remain constant at 0.46 and 1.2 keV. The areas and flux of each component decreased by a factor of 6, initially through a steep decay trend lasting about 46 days, followed by a shallow long-term one. The pulse shape in the same energy range is initially complex, exhibiting three distinct peaks, yet with clear continuous evolution throughout the outburst toward a simpler, single-pulse shape. The rms pulsed fraction is high and increases from about 40% to 50%. We find no dependence of pulse shape or fraction on energy. These results suggest that multiple hot spots, possibly possessing temperature gradients, emerged at outburst onset and shrank as the outburst decayed. We detect 84 faint bursts with NICER, having a strong preference for occurring close to the surface emission pulse maximum—the first time this phenomenon is detected in such a large burst sample. This likely implies a very low altitude for the burst emission region and a triggering mechanism connected to the surface active zone. Finally, our radio observations at several epochs and multiple frequencies reveal no evidence of pulsed or burst-like radio emission.