10,495 research outputs found
Broad-band Modeling of GRB Afterglows
Observations of GRB afterglows ranging from radio to X-ray frequencies
generate large data sets. Careful analysis of these broad-band data can give us
insight into the nature of the GRB progenitor population by yielding such
information like the total energy of the burst, the geometry of the fireball
and the type of environment into which the GRB explodes. We illustrate, by
example, how global, self-consistent fits are a robust approach for
characterizing the afterglow emission. This approach allows a relatively simple
comparison of different models and a way to determine the strengths and
weaknesses of these models, since all are treated self-consistently. Here we
quantify the main differences between the broad-band, self-consistent approach
and the traditional approach, using GRB000301C and GRB970508 as test cases.Comment: Appears in "Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era" proceedings of the
Roma 2000 GRB Workshop; 3 pages; 2 figure
SN1998bw: The Case for a Relativistic Shock
SN1998bw shot to fame by claims of association with GRB980425. Independent of
its presumed association with a GRB, this SN is unusual in its radio
properties. A simple interpretation of the unusually bright radio emission
leads us to the conclusion that there are two shocks in this SN: a slow moving
shock containing most of the ejecta and a relativistic shock (Gamma=2) which is
responsible for the radio emission. This is the first evidence for the
existence of relativistic shocks in supernovae. It is quite plausible that this
shock may produce high energy emission (at early times and by inverse Compton
scattering). As with other supernovae, we expect radio emission at much later
times powered primarily by the slow moving ejecta. This expectation has
motivated us to continue monitoring this unusual SN.Comment: A&A (in press), Rome GRB Symposium, Nov. 199
Rising incidence of hip fractures in Sindhudurg west coast of Maharashtra, South India (2000 to 2011)
Background: The incidence of hip fractures in Sindhudurg, west coast of Maharashtra has been reported in relation to age and gender.Methods: Using the medical records and X-ray registers from May 2000 to October 2011, all patients of proximal femoral fractures were recorded and included in this study. The data was cross checked doubly with details of indoor case papers against ward admission and operation theatre registers, were found to be congruent after verifying the names of patients.Results: The total male incidence was bimodal with moderate peaks at 31 to 50 years and very high at 51 to 70 years. The female incidence with peaks at 41 to 60 years with regular steady increase up to 80 years. Males of 31 to 70 years 2.5 times more likely to sustain a fracture (95% CI 2.3 to 2.8) than females. Females between 40 to 60 years 2.8 times more likely to sustain fracture than males (95% CI 2.5 to 3.0). The trend was stable from year to year. This high increase in hip fractures in men of 51 to 70 years incidence documented osteoporotic fractures in contrast with too much emphasis on the importance of menopause in hip fractures.Conclusions: Despite wide variations in age specific hip fracture rates over a decade, reasons for differences are not clear. From 2000 to 2011, the hip fractures in district hospital increased by a factor of 6.6%, 14.34% in both the genders above the age of 41 years in parallel with hospital admissions.
A Radio Flare from GRB 020405: Evidence for a Uniform Medium Around a Massive Stellar Progenitor
We present radio observations of GRB 020405 starting 1.2 days after the
burst, which reveal a rapidly-fading ``radio flare''. Based on its temporal and
spectral properties, we interpret the radio flare as emission from the reverse
shock. This scenario rules out a circumburst medium with a radial density
profile \rho ~ r^{-2} expected around a mass-losing massive star, since in that
case the reverse shock emission decays on the timescale of the burst duration
t~100 s. Using published optical and X-ray data, along with the radio data
presented here, we further show that a self-consistent model requires
collimated ejecta with an opening angle of 6 degrees (t_j~0.95 days). As a
consequence of the early jet break, the late-time (t>10 days) emission measured
with the Hubble Space Telescope significantly deviates from an extrapolation of
the early, ground-based data. This, along with an unusually red spectrum, F_\nu
\~ \nu^{-3.9}, strengthens the case for a supernova that exploded at about the
same time as GRB 020405, thus pointing to a massive stellar progenitor for this
burst. This is the first clear association of a massive progenitor with a
uniform medium, indicating that a \rho ~ r^{-2} profile is not a required
signature, and in fact may not be present on the lengthscales probed by the
afterglow in the majority of bursts.Comment: Submitted to ApJ; 14 pages, 2 tables, 3 figure
PTF 11kx: A Type Ia Supernova with a Symbiotic Nova Progenitor
There is a consensus that type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) arise from the thermonuclear explosion of white dwarf stars that accrete matter from a binary companion. However, direct observation of SN Ia progenitors is lacking, and the precise nature of the binary companion remains uncertain. A temporal series of high-resolution optical spectra of the SN Ia PTF 11kx reveals a complex circumstellar environment that provides an unprecedentedly detailed view of the progenitor system. Multiple shells of circumstellar material are detected, and the SN ejecta are seen to interact with circumstellar material starting 59 days after the explosion. These features are best described by a symbiotic nova progenitor, similar to RS Ophiuchi
Gamma-Ray Burst Spectral Features: Interpretation as X-ray Emission From A Photoionized Plasma
Numerous reports have been made of features, either in emission or
absorption, in the 10 - 1000 keV spectra of some gamma-ray bursts. Originally
interpreted in the context of Galactic neutron star models as cyclotron line
emission and annihilation features, the recent demonstration that
the majority of GRBs lie at cosmological distances make these explanations
unlikely. In this letter, we adopt a relativistic fireball model for
cosmological GRBs in which dense, metal rich blobs or filaments of plasma are
entrained in the relativistic outflow. In the context of this model, we
investigate the conditions under which broadband features, similar to those
detected, can be observed. We find a limited region of parameter space capable
of reproducing the observed GRB spectra. Finally, we discuss possible
constraints further high-energy spectral observations could place on fireball
model parameters.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters Four pages,
2 figure
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