Repeated, Delayed Torque Variations Following X-ray Flux Enhancements in the Magnetar 1E$\;$1048.1$-$5937

TL;DR

This study monitors a magnetar over two years, revealing delayed torque variations following X-ray flux enhancements, with potential quasi-periodic behavior and similarities to radio pulsar phenomena, suggesting a magnetospheric origin.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed two-year observational analysis of flux and torque variations in 1E 1048.1-5937, identifying a repeating pattern and proposing a magnetospheric mechanism.

Findings

X-ray outburst increased flux by a factor of 6.3

Torque variability occurred after a ~100-day delay

Pattern of behavior may repeat every ~1800 days

Abstract

We report on two years of flux and spin evolution monitoring of 1E 1048.1$-$5937, a 6.5-s X-ray pulsar identified as a magnetar. Using {\it Swift} XRT data, we observed an X-ray outburst consisting of an increase in the persistent 1--10 keV flux by a factor of 6.3$\pm$0.2, beginning on 2011 December 31 (MJD 55926). Following a delay of $\sim100$ days, the magnetar entered a period of large torque variability, with $\dot{\nu}$ reaching a factor of $4.55\pm0.05$ times the nominal value, before decaying in an oscillatory manner over a time scale of months. We show by comparing to previous outbursts from the source that this pattern of behavior may repeat itself with a quasi-period of $\sim1800$ days. We compare this phenomenology to periodic torque variations in radio pulsars, finding some similarities which suggest a magnetospheric origin for the behavior of 1E 1048.1$-$5937.