magnetar

/ ˈmæɡnɪtɑː /

noun

1. a type of neutron star that has a very intense magnetic field, over 1000 times greater than that of a pulsar

magnetar

1. A neutron star with a very strong magnetic field. Magnetars are the proposed sources of observed gamma ray bursts.

Word History and Origins

Origin of magnetar¹

C20: from _magnet ( _ic ) ( _st ) _ar , on the model of _quasar

Example Sentences

Other investors including Magnetar Capital and Founders Fund have also been in talks to participate in the round.

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Magnetar Capital — an Evanston, Ill.-based hedge fund — could contribute up to $1 billion, according to multiple people, all of whom asked not to be identified because the information is private.

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One possibility, the team says, is a highly magnetized neutron star, or magnetar, that has aged and slowed but somehow held onto its strong magnetic field.

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A team in China that reported finding the same 44-minute LPT with the Daocheng Radio Telescope, in a preprint on arXiv last week, favors the magnetar idea.

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Because the supernova remnant is still visible, the magnetar left behind ought to be relatively young—and still magnetically powerful.

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