5,280 research outputs found
Is the late near-infrared bump in short-hard GRB 130603B due to the Li-Paczynski kilonova?
Short-hard gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are widely believed to be produced by the
merger of two binary compact objects, specifically by two neutron stars or by a
neutron star orbiting a black hole. According to the Li-Paczynski kilonova
model, the merger would launch sub-relativistic ejecta and a
near-infrared/optical transient would then occur, lasting up to days, which is
powered by the radioactive decay of heavy elements synthesized in the ejecta.
The detection of a late bump using the {\em Hubble Space Telescope} ({\em HST})
in the near-infrared afterglow light curve of the short-hard GRB 130603B is
indeed consistent with such a model. However, as shown in this Letter, the
limited {\em HST} near-infrared lightcurve behavior can also be interpreted as
the synchrotron radiation of the external shock driven by a wide mildly
relativistic outflow. In such a scenario, the radio emission is expected to
peak with a flux of Jy, which is detectable for current radio
arrays. Hence, the radio afterglow data can provide complementary evidence on
the nature of the bump in GRB 130603B. It is worth noting that good
spectroscopy during the bump phase in short-hard bursts can test validity of
either model above, analogous to spectroscopy of broad-lined Type Ic supernova
in long-soft GRBs.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, published in ApJ Lette
A supra-massive magnetar central engine for short GRB 130603B
We show that the peculiar early optical and in particular X-ray afterglow
emission of the short duration burst GRB 130603B can be explained by continuous
energy injection into the blastwave from a supra-massive magnetar central
engine. The observed energetics and temporal/spectral properties of the late
infrared bump (i.e., the "kilonova") are also found consistent with emission
from the ejecta launched during an NS-NS merger and powered by a magnetar
central engine. The isotropic-equivalent kinetic energies of both the GRB
blastwave and the kilonova are about erg, consistent
with being powered by a near-isotropic magnetar wind. However, this relatively
small value demands that most of the initial rotational energy of the magnetar
is carried away by gravitational wave
radiation. Our results suggest that (i) the progenitor of GRB 130603B would be
a NS-NS binary system, whose merger product would be a supra-massive neutron
star that lasted for about seconds; (ii) the equation-of-state of
nuclear matter would be stiff enough to allow survival of a long-lived
supra-massive neutron star, so that it is promising to detect bright
electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave triggers without short GRB
associations in the upcoming Advanced LIGO/Virgo era.Comment: Five pages including 1 Figure, to appear in ApJ
Computed Tomographic Appearance of Internal Herniation Through the Sigmoid Mesocolon
The case of a patient with surgically proven internal herniation of a loop of ileum through the sigmoid mesocolon is described. This 66-year-old man presented clinically with acute lower abdominal pain and an elevated white blood cell count. A computed tomography (CT) scan showed a thickened bowel loop with “bird-beak” appearance in the pelvis, centered towards the medial side and lying aside the effaced sigmoid colon. We think this CT picture is highly suggestive of internal herniation of the ileum through the sigmoid mesocolon, which is a rare clinical entity
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