Astronomy

A fracture in a magnetar's magnetic field

Release a fraction of an immense magnetic-energy reservoir. Follow the initial spike and the fading tail, modulated by the star's rotation.

By Mykhailo Makarov

$A fracture in a magnetar's magnetic field — Actual application image$

Actual application image

The model and its limits

Uniform-field magnetic-energy estimate for a 12 km star and an energy-normalised phenomenological spike plus pulsating tail. Magnetic loops and crust displacement illustrate the event, not a relativistic magnetohydrodynamic solution.

Equations used in the module

Equations
E_B = B²V/(2μ₀); E_flare = f E_B; ∫L(t)dt = E_flare.

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