Correlations between Spectral Properties and Spin-down Rate in Soft Gamma-Ray Repeaters and Anomalous X-Ray Pulsars

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Abstract
Anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) and soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) are X-ray sources with unusual properties distinguishing them from both rotation-powered and most accretion-powered pulsars. Using archival ASCA data over the energy range 0.5-10.0 keV, we have studied the spectra of the persistent emission from these sources and their variation with spin-down rate. Using a single-power-law spectral model, we find that the overall hardness of the spectra increase with increasing spin-down rate, and therefore the spectral and spin-down mechanism are inextricably linked in these objects. In terms of the two-component blackbody plus power law spectral model, this correlation is seen as an increasing hardness of the high-energy component with increasing spin-down rate, with the temperature of the low-energy blackbody component remaining essentially constant. Also, for the two component spectral model, the ratio of the 2-10 keV power-law and bolometric blackbody luminosities gradually increases with the spin-down rate. We discuss these results in terms of the various theoretical models for SGRs and AXPs.
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