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Detection of a radio counterpart to the 27 December 2004 giant flare from SGR 1806–20

Author

Listed:
  • P. B. Cameron

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • P. Chandra

    (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
    Indian Institute of Science)

  • A. Ray

    (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research)

  • S. R. Kulkarni

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • D. A. Frail

    (National Radio Astronomy Observatory)

  • M. H. Wieringa

    (Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO)

  • E. Nakar

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • E. S. Phinney

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Atsushi Miyazaki

    (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory)

  • Masato Tsuboi

    (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)

  • Sachiko Okumura

    (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)

  • N. Kawai

    (Tokyo Institute of Technology)

  • K. M. Menten

    (Max Planck Institut für Radioastronomie)

  • F. Bertoldi

    (University of Bonn)

Abstract

Flares back in fashion On 27 December last year, SGR1806–20, a soft γ-ray repeater in Sagittarius, released a giant flare that has been called the brightest explosion ever recorded. SGRs are X-ray stars that sporadically emit low-energy γ-ray bursts. They are thought to be magnetars: neutron stars with observable emissions powered by magnetic dissipation. Five papers in this issue report initial and follow-up observations of this event. The data are remarkable: for instance in a fifth of a second, the flare released as much energy as the Sun radiates in a quarter of a million years. Such power can be explained by catastrophic global crust failure and magnetic reconnection on a magnetar. Releasing a hundred times the energy of the only two previous SGR giant flares, this may have been a once-in-a-lifetime event for astronomers, and for the star itself.

Suggested Citation

  • P. B. Cameron & P. Chandra & A. Ray & S. R. Kulkarni & D. A. Frail & M. H. Wieringa & E. Nakar & E. S. Phinney & Atsushi Miyazaki & Masato Tsuboi & Sachiko Okumura & N. Kawai & K. M. Menten & F. Berto, 2005. "Detection of a radio counterpart to the 27 December 2004 giant flare from SGR 1806–20," Nature, Nature, vol. 434(7037), pages 1112-1115, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:434:y:2005:i:7037:d:10.1038_nature03605
    DOI: 10.1038/nature03605
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