Original title: 17 Yr of Magnetar Bursts Observed with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor
Matt Godwin, Özge Keskin, Mustafa Demirer, Yi-Jing Yi +16 · September 2026
MagnetarsNeutron stars with extremely strong magnetic fields that produce bursts of radiation. are neutron stars with extreme magnetic fields, and they produce quick, transient bursts of high-energy light. Scientists want to study these events to understand extreme physics, but tracking them requires consistent observations over a long time. Researchers analyzed 17 years of data gathered by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor. This space instrument monitors the entire sky with high sensitivity, catching rapid flashes across the electromagnetic spectrum. Using these measurements, the team created a comprehensive catalog detailing 1254 short bursts coming from 17 unique sources in our Galaxy. Most of the recorded events came from two specific magnetars: SGR J1935+2154 and SGR J1550-5418. The researchers mapped out properties like duration, brightness, and energy spectra, sharing these files publicly for future research.
Imagine a friend who texts you random jokes at odd hours over several years. At first, you might miss some, but after recording them all, you can see if they joke more often on certain days or in certain styles. Here, researchers have tracked bursts of energy from magnetars for 17 years, building a complete list to understand their behavior.
This catalog helps astronomers study how magnetars, incredibly magnetic neutron stars, behave over long periods. By having 17 years of data, scientists can spot patterns and changes that short-term observations might miss, advancing our understanding of extreme cosmic phenomena.
The abstract does not list specific limitations, but the catalog is based solely on Fermi GBM observations, so it may not include bursts detected by other instruments or non-short burst emissions from magnetars.
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17 Yr of Magnetar Bursts Observed with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor — Matt Godwin, Özge Keskin, Mustafa Demirer et al.
Abstract licence: CC0
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper. This is a preprint, so it hasn't necessarily been peer reviewed.