Image: A rupture in the crust of a highly magnetized neutron star, shown here in an artist's rendering, can trigger high-energy eruptions. Fermi observations of these blasts include information on how the star's surface twists and vibrates, providing new insights into what lies beneath. Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger Some of the most intriguing neutron stars are the magnetars: highly magnetised objects whose surface fields are inferred to be in excess of 10 14 G in some cases, and whose interior fields may reach 10 16 G. In contrast with many older, more predictable neutron stars, magnetars are volatile, alternating between quiescent states and highly energetic bursts and flares. Their most spectacular events are the giant flares, releasing over ~ 10 45 erg of energy in a very brief flash and decaying X-ray tail. The giant flares of magnetars are believed to be powered by colossal magnetic energy reservoirs. In a recent paper (Lan...
Space, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Science