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Statistical Properties of SGR 1806-20 Bursts
The Astrophysical Journal
|March 15, 2000
Summary
Researchers analyzed Soft Gamma Repeater (SGR) 1806-20 bursts, finding their statistical properties resemble a self-organized critical system. This supports the crustquake hypothesis for SGR bursts, driven by neutron star magnetic fields.
Area of Science:
- * Astrophysics and High-Energy Phenomena
- * Neutron Star Physics
- * Gamma-Ray Astronomy
Background:
- * Soft Gamma Repeaters (SGRs) are neutron stars emitting intense bursts of gamma rays.
- * The energy source powering SGR bursts remains a subject of debate, with hypotheses including accretion, nuclear processes, and magnetic field decay.
- * Understanding SGR burst statistics is crucial for discerning their underlying physics.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To statistically analyze the properties of bursts from Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1806-20.
- * To compare these statistical properties with those of other natural phenomena, such as earthquakes and solar flares.
- * To investigate the energy source mechanism responsible for SGR bursts.
Main Methods:
- * Compilation and analysis of burst data from multiple observatories: Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer/Proportional Counter Array (RXTE/PCA), Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), and International Cometary Explorer (ICE).
- * Statistical analysis of burst fluence distributions, fitting them to power-law functions.
- * Analysis of time intervals between successive bursts, fitting to a lognormal distribution.
- * Examination of correlations between burst intensity and inter-burst waiting times.
Main Results:
- * Burst fluence distributions for SGR 1806-20 are well-described by power laws with indices 1.43 (RXTE/PCA), 1.76 (BATSE), and 1.67 (ICE).
- * The distribution of time intervals between bursts follows a lognormal function, peaking at 103 seconds.
- * No significant correlation was found between burst intensity and waiting times (either before or after the burst).
- * The observed statistical properties align with those of self-organized critical systems.
Conclusions:
- * The statistical behavior of SGR 1806-20 bursts strongly resembles self-organized critical systems like earthquakes and solar flares.
- * These findings support the hypothesis that SGR bursts are powered by crustquakes resulting from the evolution of the neutron star's strong magnetic field.
- * The results argue against accretion or nuclear power as the primary energy source for these events.
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