2026/01/31 by Jonathan I Katz · 1 voice
Physics and Astronomy · #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
paper · doi:10.33232/001c.162006
openalex publication_date 2026/05/11 · openalex created_date 2026/05/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
I suggest that some of the mysterious temporal properties of Fast Radio Bursts (FRB) may be explained if they are produced by dynamically triaxial magnetars. If the bursts are narrowly collimated along open field lines, then observed repeating FRB are those in which the moment of inertia tensor is only slightly triaxial and the rotation axis, open field lines and infrequent radiation (analogous to pulsar giant pulses) point nearly to the observer. In apparently non-repeating FRB these are misaligned and the directions of the open field lines and infrequent radiation wander across the sky as they rotate, reducing their duty factors by several orders of magnitude. In repeaters a triaxial moment tensor moves the radiation pattern into or out of the line of sight on long (precessional) time scales, explaining periods of greater or lesser (or absent) activity..