Activity of the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1900+14 in 1998 from Konus-Wind Observations: 2. The Giant August 27 Outburst

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the 1998 giant outburst of SGR 1900+14, comparing it to a similar event in 1979, and discusses the frequency and nature of such rare gamma-ray bursts.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of two giant outbursts from SGR 1900+14 and another source, suggesting a common origin and estimating their occurrence rate.

Findings

The 1998 outburst closely resembles the 1979 event.

Such giant outbursts occur approximately once every 50-100 years.

The similarity implies a common physical mechanism.

Abstract

The results of observations of the giant 1998 August 27 outburst in SGR 1900+14 are presented. A comparison is made of the two extremely intense events on August 27, 1998 and March 5, 1979. The striking similarity between the outbursts strongly implies a common nature. The observation of two giant outbursts within 20 years from different sources suggests that such events occur in an SGR once every 50-100 years.