Axion Star and NS
Category | Progenitor | Type | Energy Mechanism | Emission Mechanism | Counterparts | References | Brief Comments | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LF Radio | HF Radio | Microwave | Terahertz | Optical/IR | X-rays | Gamma-rays | Gravitational Waves | Neutrinos | |||||||
Collision / Interaction | Axion Star and NS | Single | Electron oscillation | Coherent dipole radiations | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | arXiv:1410.4323,arXiv:1412.7825,arXiv:1512.06245,arXiv:1810.07270, http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016PhRvD..94j3004R | None |
Definitions: LF Radio (3 MHz to 3 GHz); HF Radio (3 GHz to 30 GHz); Microwave (30 to 300 GHz)
Model Description
In the presence of a magnetic field, axions have been shown to produce radiation by generating an oscillating electric field, causing nearby electrons to radiate coherently. The radiation produced when an axion star collides with a NS has been shown to be consistent with non-repeating FRBs. As the axion star moves through the magnetosphere of the neutron star, a time-dependent electric dipole moment is induced, forcing free electrons above the surface of the NS to oscillate harmonically. This generates coherent dipole radiation with a frequency determined by the axion mass. The theory is shown to be robust to the effects of tidal disruption because the coherence of the axion star is robust; the number density of the axions in the axion star is huge.
Observational Constraints
A defining feature of the model is that the intrinsic FRB emission frequency is finite, and the observed spectral broadening is due to thermal Doppler effects. The emission is also expected to be linearly polarized because it is coherent dipole radiation. A two-component profile may be observed if the axion star collides with a binary NS system. No counterparts are expected. The significant broadening of FRBs, their linear polarization and the large range of frequencies at which FRBs have been detected is consistent with these theories.