Identify whether nearby magnetars triggered the Wow! signal

Ascertain whether any of the magnetars near the Wow! field—specifically SGR 1806−20, SGR 1900+14, or SGR J1745−2900—served as the transient radiation source that triggered a short-lived superradiance or maser-like flare in a small cold neutral hydrogen (HI) cloud, thereby producing the Wow! signal detected by the Ohio State University Big Ear radio telescope in 1977.

Background

The paper hypothesizes that the Wow! was a natural astrophysical event: a superradiance or maser-like flare in a small cold HI cloud triggered by an intense transient source, such as a magnetar flare or SGR. Magnetars are known to produce strong, beamed, and sporadic high-energy bursts that could invert HI populations and produce narrowband 21-cm emission.

Despite proposing magnetars as plausible triggers, the authors note that identifying the specific triggering source is challenging due to beaming, rarity, and alignment constraints, and they cannot presently determine whether any of the nearby magnetars were responsible.