Editing Magnetar (section)

=== Formation ===
[[Image:Dust Ring around Magnetar1.jpg|thumb|right|Magnetar SGR 1900+14 (center of image) showing a surrounding ring of gas 7 light-years across in infrared light, as seen by the [[Spitzer Space Telescope]]. The magnetar itself is not visible at this wavelength but has been seen in X-ray light.]]
In a [[supernova]], a star collapses to a neutron star, and its magnetic field increases dramatically in strength through conservation of [[magnetic flux]]. Halving a linear dimension increases the magnetic field strength fourfold. Duncan and Thompson calculated that when the spin, temperature and magnetic field of a newly formed neutron star falls into the right ranges, a [[Dynamo theory|dynamo mechanism]] could act, converting heat and rotational energy into magnetic energy and increasing the magnetic field, normally an already enormous 10<sup>8</sup> [[Tesla (unit)|tesla]]s, to more than 10<sup>11</sup> teslas (or 10<sup>15</sup> [[gauss (unit)|gauss]]). The result is a ''magnetar''.<ref>Kouveliotou, p.237</ref> It is estimated that about one in ten supernova explosions results in a magnetar rather than a more standard neutron star or pulsar.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1 = Popov |first1 = S. B. |last2 = Prokhorov |first2 = M. E. |doi = 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09983.x |title = Progenitors with enhanced rotation and the origin of magnetars |journal = Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |volume = 367 |issue = 2 |pages = 732–736 |date=April 2006 |doi-access = free
|arxiv = astro-ph/0505406 |bibcode = 2006MNRAS.367..732P |s2cid = 14930432
}} {{open access}}</ref>