Unusual Burst Emission from the New Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1627-41

In 1998 June-July, the Konus-Wind burst spectrometer observed a series of bursts from the new soft gamma repeater SGR 1627-41. Time histories and energy spectra of the bursts have been studied, revealing fluences and peak fluxes in the ranges 3×10^-7 to 7.5×10^-6 ergs cm^-2 and 10^-5 to 10^-4 ergs cm^-2 s^-1, respectively. One event, 18 June 6153.5 s UT, stands out dramatically from this series. Its fluence is ~7×10^-4 ergs cm^-2, and its peak flux is ~2×10^-2 ergs cm^-2 s^-1. These values from a source at a distance of 5.8 kpc yield an energy output of ~3×10⁴² ergs and a maximum luminosity of ~8×10⁴³ ergs s^-1 for isotropic emission, similar to the values for the famous 1979 March 5 and 1998 August 27 events. In terms of energy, this event is another giant outburst seen in a third soft gamma repeater! However, this very energetic burst differs significantly from the other giant outbursts. It exhibits no separate initial pulse with a fast rise time, no extended tail, and no pulsations. It is rather similar to ordinary repeated bursts, but is a few hundred times stronger in intensity. According to the magnetar model by Thompson & Duncan, such a burst may be initiated by a strong starquake when a crust fracture propagates over the whole surface of a neutron star.