Kostas Kokkotas (Tübingen)

• Magnetars exhibit regular gamma-ray flares that are preceded by star quakes or glitches in the pulsations.  The largest flares have L ~ 10^47 erg/s (3 since 1979).
• No natural explanation for (1) sudden stop of activity P ~ 12 sec and (2) AXP-SNR association but no SGR-SNR association
• Thompson & Duncan (1990’s) – developed a fireball model that erupts from the NS surface to explain these largest bursts.
• Can QPOs be explained by global Alfvèn waves?  (see KK publications)
• NS models, using perturbation theory, with crust and B-fields to predict QPO frequencies.  No crust oscillations at B > 4 x 10^14 G.
• Gravitational wave amplitudes are unknown and must be calculated with simulations (3D GRMHD).
• Simulation of B-field instability (Lasky et al. 2011, ApJL) and prediction for GW (Zink et al. 2011)