Strange Star Heating Events as a Model for Giant Flares of Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters

Two giant flares were observed on 5 March 1979 and 27 August 1998 from the soft gamma-ray repeaters SGR 0526-66 and SGR 1900+14, respectively. The striking similarity between these remarkable bursts strongly implies a common nature. We show that the light curves of the giant bursts may be easily explained in the model where the burst radiation is produced by the bare quark surface of a strange star heated, for example, by impact of a massive comet-like object.