2,186 research outputs found
Broad band time-resolved E_{p,i}--L_{iso} correlation in GRBs
We report results of a systematic study of the broad band (2--2000 keV) time
resolved prompt emission spectra of a sample of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)
detected with both Wide Field Cameras on board the \sax\ satellite and the
\batse\ experiment on board CGRO. In this first paper, we study the
time-resolved dependence of the intrinsic peak energy of the
spectrum on the corresponding isotropic bolometric luminosity .
The -- relation or the equivalent relation between
and the bolometric released energy , derived using the time
averaged spectra of long GRBs with known redshift, is well established, but its
physical origin is still a subject of discussion. In addition, some authors
maintain that these relations are the result of instrumental selection effects.
We find that not only a relation between the measured peak energy and the
corresponding energy flux, but also a strong versus
correlation are found within each burst and merging together the time resolved
data points from different GRBs. We do not expect significant instrumental
selection effects that can affect the obtained results, apart from the fact
that the GRBs in our sample are sufficiently bright to perform a time-resolved
spectroscopy and that they have known redshift. If the fundamental physical
process that gives rise to the GRB phenomenon does not depend on its
brightness, we conclude that the found versus
correlation within each GRB is intrinsic to the emission process, and that the
correlations discovered by Amati et al. and Yonetoku et al. are likely not the
result of selection effects. We also discuss the properties of the correlations
found.Comment: 27 pages,4 tables, 7 figure, accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
Evidence for a long duration component in the prompt emission of short Gamma-Ray Bursts detected with BeppoSAX
A statistical study on the light curves of all the short Gamma-Ray Bursts
detected with the Gamma Ray Burst Monitor (GRBM) aboard BeppoSAX is reported.
Evidence for a very weak and long duration component associated with these
events in the two 1 s counters of the GRBM (40-700 keV and >100 keV) is found.
It starts a few tens of seconds before the burst and continues for about 30 s
after the burst. The overall hardness of this component is comparable with that
of the event itself. The detection of a signal before the onset time and the
similar hardness are consistent with an interpretation of the long duration
component in terms of prompt emission associated with short GRBs.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
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
BeppoSAX observations of the X-ray binary pulsar 4U1626-67
We report on observations of the low-mass X-ray binary 4U1626-67 performed
during the BeppoSAX Science Verification Phase. We present the broad-band
0.1-100 keV pulse averaged spectrum, that is well fit by a two-component
function: a 0.27 +/- 0.02 keV blackbody and an absorbed power law with a photon
index of 0.89 +/- 0.02. A very deep and narrow absorption feature at 38 keV,
attributable to electron cyclotron resonance, is clearly visible in the
broad-band spectrum. It corresponds to a neutron star magnetic field strength
of 3.3 x 10^{12} G. The 4U1626-67 pulse profiles show a dramatic dependance on
energy: the transition between the low energy (E<10 keV) "bi-horned" shape to
the high-energy (E>10 keV) sinusoidal profile is clearly visible in our data.
The modulation index shows a monotonic increase with energy.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Uses espcrc2.sty (included). To appear in
Proceedings of "The Active X-ray Sky: Results from BeppoSAX and Rossi-XTE
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&
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 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
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