1,364 research outputs found
Crystals for X/gamma-ray space telescopes
We will review the status of the Laue lens development of space astrophysics and the importance of the curved crystals for optimizing the lens performance
GRB 970228 Revisited: Evidence for a Supernova in the Light Curve and La te Spectral Energy Distribution of the Afterglow
At the time of its discovery, the optical and X-ray afterglow of GRB 970228
appeared to be a ringing endorsement of the previously untried relativistic
fireball model of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows, but now that nearly a dozen
optical afterglows to GRBs have been observed, the wavering light curve and
reddening spectrum of this afterglow make it perhaps the most difficult of the
observed afterglows to reconcile with the fireball model. In this Letter, we
argue that this afterglow's unusual temporal and spectral properties can be
attributed to a supernova that overtook the light curve nearly two weeks after
the GRB. This is the strongest case yet for a GRB/supernova connection. It
strengthens the case that a supernova also dominated the late afterglow of GRB
980326, and the case that GRB 980425 is related to SN 1998bw.Comment: Accepted to The Astrophysical Journal (Letters), 14 pages, LaTe
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
A Robust Filter for the BeppoSAX Gamma Ray Burst Monitor Triggers
The BeppoSAX Gamma Ray Burst Monitor (GRBM) is triggered any time a
statistically significant counting excess is simultaneously revealed by at
least two of its four independent detectors. Several spurious effects,
including highly ionizing particles crossing two detectors, are recorded as
onboard triggers. In fact, a large number of false triggers is detected, in the
order of 10/day. A software code, based on an heuristic algorithm, was written
to discriminate between real and false triggers. We present the results of the
analysis on an homogeneous sample of GRBM triggers, thus providing an estimate
of the efficiency of the GRB detection system consisting of the GRBM and the
software.Comment: Proc. 5th Huntsville GRB Symposiu
Expected performances of a Laue lens made with bent crystals
In the context of the LAUE project devoted to build a Laue lens prototype for
focusing celestial hard X-/soft gamma-rays, a Laue lens made of bent crystal
tiles, with 20 m focal length, is simulated. The focusing energy passband is
assumed to be 90--600 keV. The distortion of the image produced by the lens on
the focal plane, due to effects of crystal tile misalignment and radial
distortion of the crystal curvature, is investigated. The corresponding
effective area of the lens, its point spread function and sensitivity are
calculated and compared with those exhibited by a nominal Laue lens with no
misalignment and/or distortion. Such analysis is crucial to estimate the
optical properties of a real lens, in which the investigated shortcomings could
be present.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure
SN/GRB connection: a statistical approach with BATSE and Asiago Catalogues
Recent observations suggest that some types of GRB are physically connected
with SNe of type Ib/c. However, it has been pointed out by several authors that
some GRBs could be associated also with other types of core-collapse SNe (type
IIdw/IIn). On the basis of a comphrensive statistical study, which has made use
of the BATSE and Asiago catalogues, we have found that: i) the temporal and
spacial distribution of SNe-Ib/c is marginally correlated with that of the
BATSE GRBs; ii) we do not confirm the existence of an association between GRBs
and SNe-IIdw/IIn.Comment: Proceeding of the 4th workshop on Gamma Ray Bursts in the Afterglow
Era, Rome, 2004; 4 page
Spectral catalogue of bright gamma-ray bursts detected with the BeppoSAX/GRBM
The emission process responsible for the so-called "prompt" emission of
gamma-ray bursts is still unknown. A number of empirical models fitting the
typical spectrum still lack a satisfactory interpretation. A few GRB spectral
catalogues derived from past and present experiments are known in the
literature and allow to tackle the issue of spectral properties of gamma-ray
bursts on a statistical ground. We extracted and studied the time-integrated
photon spectra of the 200 brightest GRBs observed with the Gamma-Ray Burst
Monitor which flew aboard the BeppoSAX mission (1996-2002) to provide an
independent statistical characterisation of GRB spectra. The spectra were fit
with three models: a simple power-law, a cut-off power law or a Band function.
The typical photon spectrum of a bright GRB consists of a low-energy index
around 1.0 and a peak energy of the nuFnu spectrum E_p~240 keV in agreement
with previous results on a sample of bright CGRO/BATSE bursts. Spectra of ~35%
of GRBs can be fit with a power-law with a photon index around 2, indicative of
peak energies either close to or outside the GRBM energy boundaries. We confirm
the correlation between E_p and fluence, with a logarithmic dispersion of 0.13
around the power-law with index 0.21+-0.06. The low-energy and peak energy
distributions are not yet explained in the current literature. The capability
of measuring time-resolved spectra over a broadband energy range, ensuring
precise measurements of parameters such as E_p, will be crucial for future
experiments (abridged).Comment: 28 pages, 20 figures, 3 tables, accepted to A&
- …