The magnetar emission in the IR band: the role of magnetospheric currents

TL;DR

This paper proposes a quantitative model explaining IR emission in magnetars as curvature radiation from magnetospheric charges, addressing an open question about low-energy emission origins.

Contribution

It introduces a new model linking magnetospheric currents to IR emission in magnetars, supported by comparison with observations.

Findings

Model successfully reproduces observed IR fluxes

Curvature radiation from magnetospheric charges explains IR emission

Supports magnetospheric origin of low-energy emission

Abstract

There is a general consensus about the fact that the magnetar scenario provides a convincing explanation for several of the observed properties of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars and the Soft Gamma Repeaters. However, the origin of the emission observed at low energies is still an open issue. We present a quantitative model for the emission in the optical/infrared band produced by curvature radiation from magnetospheric charges, and compare results with current magnetars observations.