Joint Astrophysical Colloquium
The multi-messenger magnetar legacy
Simone Dall'Osso (INFN Roma)
Thursday 14/03/2024 @ 11:30, Sala Antonio Sollima (IV piano Battiferro)
Magnetars are extraordinary neutron stars (NS). Their bright and highly variable X/?-ray emission is powered by the dissipation of their ultra-strong magnetic fields (> 10^15 G), providing a unique probe of the physics of NS interiors. A peculiarly fast rotation (< a few milliseconds) at birth, inherited from the properties of the progenitor, is thought to be key to the formation of magnetars via a powerful dynamo, a scenario supported by recent MHD simulations. With their huge reservoirs of rotational and magnetic energy, newly born magnetars can be powerful machines capable of producing bright electromagnetic (EM) transients, e.g. gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), Super-Luminous Supernovae, Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), and intense gravitational wave (GW) transients which represent their ultimate signatures. I will present our current understanding of magnetars, new results linking them to GRBs and FRBs, and ongoing efforts in the search for their GW transient signals both in the current (O4) and future (O5 and post-O5) LIGO/virgo science runs.