343 research outputs found
A common stochastic process rules gamma-ray burst prompt emission and X-ray flares
Prompt gamma-ray and early X-ray afterglow emission in gamma-ray bursts
(GRBs) are characterized by a bursty behavior and are often interspersed with
long quiescent times. There is compelling evidence that X-ray flares are linked
to prompt gamma-rays. However, the physical mechanism that leads to the complex
temporal distribution of gamma-ray pulses and X-ray flares is not understood.
Here we show that the waiting time distribution (WTD) of pulses and flares
exhibits a power-law tail extending over 4 decades with index ~2 and can be the
manifestation of a common time-dependent Poisson process. This result is robust
and is obtained on different catalogs. Surprisingly, GRBs with many (>=8)
gamma-ray pulses are very unlikely to be accompanied by X-ray flares after the
end of the prompt emission (3.1 sigma Gaussian confidence). These results are
consistent with a simple interpretation: an hyperaccreting disk breaks up into
one or a few groups of fragments, each of which is independently accreted with
the same probability per unit time. Prompt gamma-rays and late X-ray flares are
nothing but different fragments being accreted at the beginning and at the end,
respectively, following the very same stochastic process and likely the same
mechanism.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Ap
Short gamma-ray bursts within 200 Mpc
We present a systematic search for short-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the local Universe based on 14 yr of observations with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. We cross-correlate the GRB positions with the GLADE catalogue of nearby galaxies, and find no event at a distance ≲100 Mpc and four plausible candidates in the range 100 Mpc ≲ D ≲ 200 Mpc. Although affected by low statistics, this number is higher than the one expected for chance alignments to random galaxies, and possibly suggests a physical association between these bursts and nearby galaxies. By assuming a local origin, we use these events to constrain the range of properties for X-ray counterparts of neutron star mergers. Optical upper limits place tight constraints on the onset of a blue kilonova, and imply either low masses (≲10−3M⊙) of lanthanide-poor ejecta or unfavorable orientations (θ_(obs) ≳ 30 deg). Finally, we derive that the all-sky rate of detectable short GRBs within 200 Mpc is 1.3^(+1.7)_(−0.8) yr⁻¹ (68 per cent confidence interval), and discuss the implications for the GRB outflow structure. If these candidates are instead of cosmological origin, we set a upper limit of ≲2.0 yr⁻¹ (90 per cent confidence interval) to the rate of nearby events detectable with operating gamma-ray observatories, such as Swift and Fermi
Inelastic scattering of broadband electron wave packets driven by an intense mid-infrared laser field
Intense, 100 fs laser pulses at 3.2 and 3.6 um are used to generate, by
multi-photon ionization, broadband wave packets with up to 400 eV of kinetic
energy and charge states up to Xe+6. The multiple ionization pathways are well
described by a white electron wave packet and field-free inelastic cross
sections, averaged over the intensity-dependent energy distribution for (e,ne)
electron impact ionization. The analysis also suggests a contribution from a 4d
core excitation in xenon
A theoretical model of an off-axis GRB jet
In light of the most recent observations of late afterglows produced by the
merger of compact objects or by the core-collapse of massive dying stars, we
research the evolution of the afterglow produced by an off-axis top-hat jet and
its interaction with a surrounding medium. The medium is parametrized by a
power law distribution of the form is the stratification
parameter and contains the development when the surrounding density is constant
() or wind-like (). We develop an analytical synchrotron
forward-shock model when the outflow is viewed off-axis, and it is decelerated
by a stratified medium. Using the X-ray data points collected by a large
campaign of orbiting satellites and ground telescopes, we have managed to apply
our model and fit the X-ray spectrum of the GRB afterglow associated to SN
2020bvc with conventional parameters. Our model predicts that its circumburst
medium is parametrized by a power law with stratification parameter .Comment: Presented at the 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2021),
Berlin, German
Decelerated sub-relativistic material with energy Injection
We investigate the evolution of the afterglow produced by the deceleration of
the non-relativistic material due to its surroundings. The ejecta mass is
launched into the circumstellar medium with equivalent kinetic energy expressed
as a power-law velocity distribution . The
density profile of this medium follows a power law with
the stratification parameter, which accounts for the usual cases of a
constant medium () and a wind-like medium (). A long-lasting central
engine, which injects energy into the ejected material as ()
was also assumed. With our model, we show the predicted light curves associated
with this emission for different sets of initial conditions and notice the
effect of the variation of these parameters on the frequencies, timescales and
intensities. The results are discussed in the Kilonova scenario.Comment: Presented at the 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2021),
Berlin, German
Short gamma-ray bursts within 200 Mpc
We present a systematic search for short-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the local Universe based on 14 yr of observations with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. We cross-correlate the GRB positions with the GLADE catalogue of nearby galaxies, and find no event at a distance ≲100 Mpc and four plausible candidates in the range 100 Mpc ≲ D ≲ 200 Mpc. Although affected by low statistics, this number is higher than the one expected for chance alignments to random galaxies, and possibly suggests a physical association between these bursts and nearby galaxies. By assuming a local origin, we use these events to constrain the range of properties for X-ray counterparts of neutron star mergers. Optical upper limits place tight constraints on the onset of a blue kilonova, and imply either low masses (≲10−3M⊙) of lanthanide-poor ejecta or unfavorable orientations (θ_(obs) ≳ 30 deg). Finally, we derive that the all-sky rate of detectable short GRBs within 200 Mpc is 1.3^(+1.7)_(−0.8) yr⁻¹ (68 per cent confidence interval), and discuss the implications for the GRB outflow structure. If these candidates are instead of cosmological origin, we set a upper limit of ≲2.0 yr⁻¹ (90 per cent confidence interval) to the rate of nearby events detectable with operating gamma-ray observatories, such as Swift and Fermi
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