Photon-splitting limits to the hardness of emission in strongly magnetized soft gamma repeaters

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (53) References (18) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Photon-Splitting Limits to the Hardness of Emission in Strongly Magnetized Soft Gamma Repeaters Baring, Matthew G. Abstract Soft gamma repeaters are characterized by recurrent activity consisting of short-duration outbursts of high-energy emission that is typically of temperature less than 40 keV. One recent model of repeaters is that they originate in the environs of neutron stars with superstrong magnetic fields, perhaps greater than 1014 G. In such fields, the exotic process of magnetic photon splitting gamma yields gamma gamma acts very effectively to reprocess gamma-ray radiation down to hard X-ray energies. In this Letter, the action of photon splitting is considered in some detail, via the solution of photon kinetic equations, determining how it limits the hardness of emission in strongly magnetized repeaters, and thereby obtaining observational constraints to the field in SGR 1806-20. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: February 1995 DOI: 10.1086/187763 Bibcode: 1995ApJ...440L..69B Keywords: Gamma Ray Bursts; Magnetic Flux; Neutron Stars; Photons; Stellar Magnetic Fields; Astronomical Models; Kinetic Equations; Nonthermal Radiation; Astrophysics; GAMMA RAYS: BURSTS; GAMMA RAYS: THEORY; MAGNETIC FIELDS; POLARIZATION; RADIATION MECHANISMS: NONTHERMAL; STARS: NEUTRON full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (2)