magnetar

plural magnetars

1. astronomyA neutron star or pulsar with an extremely powerful magnetic field, especially those on which starquakes occur, thought to be the source of some gamma-ray bursts.

   This signal could be detected with Advanced LIGO-class detectors up to the distance of the Virgo cluster, where ≥ 1 yr⁻¹ magnetars are expected to form.

   2007, S. Dall'Osso, L. Stella, “Newborn magnetars as sources of gravitational radiation: constraints from high energy observations of magnetar candidates”, in Silvia Zane, Roberto Turolla, Dany Page, editors, Isolated Neutron Stars: From the Surface to the Interior, page 119

   2 more examples

   2008, W. Becker, F, Haberl, J Trümper, 14: Pulsars and Isolated Neutron Stars, Joachim E. Trümper, Günther Hasinger (editors), The Universe in X-Rays, page 193, The radio-silent neutron stars include anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs), soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs), and “quiescent” neutron star candidates in SNRs. There is growing evidence that AXPs and SGRs are indeed magnetars (see [109] for a review).

   One of most mysterious feature[s] of magnetars is their X-ray luminosities, which always exceed the rotational energy loss. Thus, the energy source of the radiation of magnetars is a mysterious question.

   2011, Yukikatsu Terada, Tadayasu Dotani, “The International X-ray Observatiry and other X-ray missions, expectations for pulsar physics”, in Nanda Rea, Diego F. Torres, editors, High-Energy Emission from Pulsars and Their Systems: Proceedings of the First Session of the Sant Cugat Forum on Astrophysics, page 576