Can a strong radio burst escape the magnetosphere of a magnetar? [HEAP]

http://arxiv.org/abs/2108.07881


We examine the possibility that fast radio bursts (FRBs) are emitted inside the magnetosphere of a magnetar. On its way out, the radio wave must interact with a low-density $e^\pm$ plasma in the outer magnetosphere at radii $10^9$-$10^{10}\,$cm. In this region, the magnetospheric particles have a huge cross section for scattering the wave. As a result, the wave strongly interacts with the magnetosphere and compresses it, depositing the FRB energy into the compressed field and the scattered radiation. The scattered spectrum extends to the $\gamma$-ray band and triggers $e^\pm$ avalanche, further boosting the opacity. These processes choke FRBs, excluding emission of observed bursts from radii $R\ll 10^{10}\,$cm.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Beloborodov
Thu, 19 Aug 21
43/54

Comments: 5 pages, 1 figure, submitted to ApJL