Direct Emission of Strong Radio Pulses During Magnetar Flares

Understand

The emission of intense radio pulses by flaring magnetars is investigated.

• Small-scale current gradients can be imprinted into a strongly magnetized outflow by the same processes that source fireball radiation in the closed magnetosphere.
• This structure arises from a combination of crustal yielding, internal tearing, and turbulent cascade.
• We consider the quasi-linear development of weak, small-scale currents as (i) they are stretched out and frozen by relativistic expansion and then (ii) pass through a shock.