Magnetar giant flares and afterglows as relativistic magnetized explosions

We propose that giant flares on Soft Gamma-Ray Repeaters produce relativistic, strongly magnetized, weakly baryon loaded magnetic clouds, somewhat analogous to solar coronal mass ejection (CME) events. Flares are driven by unwinding of internal non-potential magnetic fields which leads to slow build-up of magnetic energy outside of the neutron star. For large magnetospheric currents, corresponding to a large twist of external magnetic field, magnetosphere becomes dynamically unstable on Alfvén crossing times scale of inner magnetosphere, tA ∼ RNS/c ∼ 30μsec. The dynamic instability leads to formation of dissipative current sheets through development of tearing mode (Lyutikov 2003). Released magnetic energy results in formation of a strongly magnetized, pair-loaded, quasi-spherically expanding flux rope, topologically connected by magnetic field to the neutron star during the prompt flare emission. Expansion reaches large Lorentz factors, Γ ∼ 10−20 at distances r ∼ 1−2×10 cm, where lepto-photonic load is lost. Beyond this radius plasma is strongly dominated by magnetic field, though some baryon loading, with M ≪ E/c, by ablated neutron star material may occur. Magnetic stresses of the tied flux rope lead to late collimation of the expansion, on time scales longer than giant flare duration. Relativistic bulk motion of the expanding magnetic cloud, directed at an angle θ ∼ 135 to the line of sight (away from the observer), results in a strongly nonspherical forward shock with observed non-relativistic apparent expansion and bulk motion velocities βapp ∼ cot θ/2 ∼ 0.4 at times of first radio observations approximately one week after the burst. Interaction with a shell of wind-shocked ISM and then with the unshocked ISM leads to deceleration to non-relativistic velocities approximately one month after the flare.