The Millisecond Magnetar Model for Long Gamma-Ray Bursts

by Niccolò Bucciantini (Nordita)

Friday 23 Oct 2009, 13:15 → 14:15 Europe/Stockholm

122:026

GRBs are burst of gamma-ray energy coming from cosmological distances. Recent observational results, while shedding light on their origin, have also challenged the standard accepted scenario, triggering a renewed interest in the investigation of the engine causing the release of such vast amount of energy. I will review the present knowledge of their properties showing that there is a compelling evidence linking them to the death of massive stars. I will then discuss the central engine models that have been proposed, and in particular I will focus on the Magnetar model. I will show recent numerical results suggesting that, indeed, a GRB might be a natural outcome following the formation of a rapidly rotating magnetized neutron star. The study of GRBs, as high energy events associated with Supernovae, is also of great importance in the general context of core collapse. The comprehension of Supernovae mechanism is one of the outstanding problem of astrophysics. GRBs, can provide an interesting and alternative way to constrain the importance of magnetic field and rotation, as well as, to clarify what are the key element regulating the properties of core-collapse.