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We consider conditions for jet breakout through ejecta following mergers of neutron stars and provide simple relations for the breakout conditions. We demonstrate that: (i) break-out requires that the isotropic-equivalent jet energy E j exceeds the ejecta energy E ej by E j ≥  E ej/βej, where βej = V ej/ c, V ej is the maximum velocity of the ejecta. If the central engine terminates before the breakout, the shock approaches the edge of the ejecta slowly ∝ 1/ t ; late breakout occurs only if at the termination moment the head of the jet was relatively close to the edge. (ii) If there is a substantial delay between the ejecta's and the jet's launching, the requirement on the jet power increases. (iii) The forward shock driven by the jet is mildly strong, with Mach number M  ≈ 5/4 (increasing with time delay t d); (iii) the delay time t d between the ejecta and the jet's launching is important for |$t_\mathrm{ d} \gt t_0= ({3 }/{16}) {c M_{\mathrm{ ej}} V_{\mathrm{ ej}}}/{L_\mathrm{ j}} = 1.01 {\rm \mathrm{ s}} M_{\mathrm{ ej}, -2} L_{\mathrm{ j}, 51} ^{-1} \left({\beta _{\mathrm{ ej}}} /{0.3} \right)$|⁠ , where M ej is ejecta mass, L j is the jet luminosity (isotropic equivalent). For small delays, t 0 is also an estimate of the break-out time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider electromagnetic interaction and precursor emission of merging neutron stars. Orbital motion of the magnetized neutron star may revive pair production within the common magnetosphere years before the merger, igniting pulsar-like magnetospheric dynamics. We identify two basic scenarios: (i) only one star is magnetized (1M-DNS scenario) and (ii) both stars are magnetized (2M-DNS scenario). Inductively created electric fields can have component along the total magnetic field (gaps) and/or the electric field may exceed the value of the local magnetic field. The key to the detection is orbital modulation of the emission. If only one star is magnetized (1M-DNS scenario) the emission is likely to be produced along the direction of the magnetic field at the location of the secondary; then, if the magnetic axis is misaligned with the orbital spin, this direction is modulated on the orbital period. For the 2M-DNS scenario, the structure of the common magnetosphere of the non-rotating neutron stars is complicated, with gaps, but no E > B regions; there is strong orbital variations for the case of misaligned magnetic moments. For the same parameters of neutron stars the 2M-DNS scenario has intrinsically higher potential than the 1M-DNS one. The overall powers are not very high, ≤1045 erg s−1; the best chance to detect electromagnetic precursors to the merging neutron stars is if the interaction of their magnetospheres leads to the production of pulsar-like coherent radio emission modulated at the orbital period, with luminosity of up to ∼1 Jankys at the time of the merger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our prior series of papers, we studied the non-relativistic and relativistic linear stability analysis of magnetized jets that do not have current sheets. In this paper, we extend our analysis to relativistic jets with a velocity shear and a similar current sheet free structure. The jets that we study are realistic because we include a velocity shear, a current sheet free magnetic structure, a relativistic velocity and a realistic thermal pressure so as to achieve overall pressure balance in the unperturbed jet. In order to parametrize the velocity shear, we apply a parabolic profile to the jets' 4-velocity. We find that the velocity shear significantly improves the stability of relativistic magnetized jets. This fact is completely consistent with our prior stability analysis of non-relativistic, sheared jets. The velocity shear mainly plays a role in stabilizing the short wavelength unstable modes for the pinch as well as the kink instability modes. In addition, it also stabilizes the long wavelength fundamental pinch instability mode. We also visualize the pressure fluctuations of each unstable mode to provide a better physical understanding of the enhanced stabilization by the velocity shear. Our overall conclusion is that combining velocity shear with a strong and realistic magnetic field makes relativistic jets even more stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a prior paper, we considered the linear stability of magnetized jets that carry no net electric current and do not have current sheets. In this paper, in addition to physically wellmotivated magnetic field structures, we also include the effects of jet shear. The jets we study have finite thermal pressure in addition to having realistic magnetic field structures and velocity shear. We find that shear has a strongly stabilizing effect on various modes of jet instability. Increasing shear stabilizes the fundamental pinch modes at long wavelengths and short wavelengths. Increasing shear also stabilizes the first reflection pinch modes at short wavelengths. Increasing shear has only a very modest stabilizing effect on the fundamental kink modes at long wavelengths; however, increasing shear does have a strong stabilizing effect on the fundamental kink modes at short wavelengths. The first reflection kink modes are strongly stabilized by increasing shear at shorter wavelengths. Overall, we find that the combined effect of magnetic field and shear stabilizes jets more than shear alone. In addition to the results from a formal linear stability analysis, we present a novel way of visualizing and understanding jet stability. This gives us a deeper understanding of the enhanced stability of sheared, magnetized jets. We also emphasize the value of our numerical approach in understanding the linear stability of jets with realistic structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We model the inner knot of the Crab nebula as a synchrotron emission coming from the nonspherical MHD termination shock of relativistic pulsar wind. The post-shock flow is mildly relativistic; as a result the Doppler beaming has a strong impact on the shock appearance. The model can reproduce the knot location, size, elongation, brightness distribution, luminosity and polarization provided the effective magnetization of the section of the pulsar wind producing the knot is low, σ ≤ 1. In the striped wind model, this implies that the striped zone is rather wide, with the magnetic inclination angle of the Crab pulsar ≥ 45°; this agrees with the previous model-dependent estimate based on the gamma-ray emission of the pulsar. We conclude that the tiny knot is indeed a bright spot on the surface of a quasi-stationary magnetic relativistic shock and that this shock is a site of efficient particle acceleration. On the other hand, the deduced low magnetization of the knot plasma implies that this is an unlikely site for the Crab's gamma-ray flares, if they are related to the fast relativistic magnetic reconnection events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we consider stability of magnetized jets that carry no net electric current and do not have current sheets. The non-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics equations are linearized around the background velocity and the magnetic field structure of the jet. The resulting linear equations are solved numerically inside the jet.We find that introduction of current-sheet-free magnetic field significantly improves jet stability relative to unmagnetized jets or magnetized jets with current sheets at their surface. This particularly applies to the fundamental pinch and kink modes - they become completely suppressed in a wide range of long wavelengths that are known to become most pernicious to jet stability when the evolution enters the non-linear regime. The reflectionmodes, both for the pinch and kink instability, also become progressively more stable with increased magnetization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We advance a 'solar flare' model of magnetar activity, whereas a slow evolution of the magnetic field in the upper crust, driven by electron magnetohydrodynamic flows, twists the external magnetic flux tubes, producing persistent emission, bursts, and flares. At the same time, the neutron star crust plastically relieves the imposed magnetic field stress, limiting the strain εt to values well below the critical strain εcrit of a brittle fracture, εtt ~ 10-2 εcrit . Magnetar-like behaviour, occurring near the magnetic equator, takes place in all neutron stars, but to a different extent. The persistent luminosity is proportional to cubic power of the magnetic field (at a given age), and hence is hardly observable in most rotationally powered neutron stars. Giant flares can occur only if the magnetic field exceeds some threshold value, while smaller bursts and flares may take place in relatively small magnetic fields. Bursts and flares are magnetospheric reconnection events that launch Alfvén shocks which convert into high-frequency whistlers upon hitting the neutron star surface. The resulting whistler pulse induces a strain that increases with depth both due to the increasing electron density (and the resulting slowing of the waves), and due to the increasing coherence of a whistler pulse with depth. The whistler pulse is dissipated on a time-scale of approximately a day at shallow depths corresponding to ρ ~ 1010 g cm-3; this energy is detected as enhanced post-flare surface emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]