Detailed Investigations of the Dimmest Bursts from Two Magnetars, SGR J0501+4516 and SGR J1550-5418
Abstract
We applied the Bayesian blocks representation technique to search for the dimmest bursts from two magnetars: we identified 320 events from SGR J0501+4516 using a deep XMM-Newton observation and 404 bursts from SGR J1550-5418 using two Swift/X-Ray Telescope pointings. The fluence level of our sample for both sources is about one to two orders of magnitude lower than earlier studies. We systematically investigated the morphological characteristics and duration distributions of these bursts, as these properties are directly obtained from their Bayesian blocks profiles. We also studied the spectral behavior of the dimmest bursts, which were grouped based on the morphological types and fluences. Our results helped us further differentiate the spectral nature of very dim bursts from that of the persistent emission, both fitted with physically motivated continuum emission models. Moreover, we generated the differential burst fluence distribution for these two magnetars in the lowest fluence regime.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- December 2013
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0004-637X/778/2/105
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1310.2244
- Bibcode:
- 2013ApJ...778..105L
- Keywords:
-
- pulsars: individual: SGR J0501+4516 SGR J1550–5418;
- stars: neutron;
- X-rays: bursts;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- Accepted to be published in The Astrophysical Journal