769 research outputs found
On the Hardness-Intensity Correlation in Gamma-Ray Burst Pulses
We study the hardness-intensity correlation (HIC) in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs).
In particular, we analyze the decay phase of pulse structures in their light
curves. The study comprises a sample of 82 long pulses selected from 66 long
bursts observed by BATSE on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. We find that at
least 57% of these pulses have HICs that can be well described by a power law.
The distribution of the power law indices, obtained by modeling the HIC of
pulses from different bursts, is broad with a mean of 1.9 and a standard
deviation of 0.7. We also compare indices among pulses from the same bursts and
find that their distribution is significantly narrower. The probability of a
random coincidence is shown to be very small. In most cases, the indices are
equal to within the uncertainties. This is particularly relevant when comparing
the external versus the internal shock models. In our analysis, we also use a
new method for studying the HIC, in which the intensity is represented by the
peak value of the E F_E spectrum. This new method gives stronger correlations
and is useful in the study of various aspects of the HIC. In particular, it
produces a better agreement between indices of different pulses within the same
burst. Also, we find that some pulses exhibit a "track jump" in their HICs, in
which the correlation jumps between two power laws with the same index. We
discuss the possibility that the "track jump" is caused by strongly overlapping
pulses. Based on our findings, the constancy of the index is proposed to be
used as a tool for pulse identification in overlapping pulses.Comment: 20 pages with 9 eps figures (emulateapj), ApJ accepte
Interpretations of gamma-ray burst spectroscopy. I. Analytical and numerical study of spectral lags
We describe the strong spectral evolution that occurs during a gamma-ray
burst pulse and the means by which it can be analyzed. Based on observed
empirical correlations, an analytical model is constructed which is used to
describe the pulse shape and quantize the spectral lags and their dependences
on the spectral evolution parameters. We find that the spectral lag depends
mainly on the pulse-decay time-scale and that hard spectra (with large spectral
power-law indices alpha) give the largest lags. Similarly, large initial
peak-energies, Eo, lead to large lags, except in the case of very soft spectra.
The hardness ratio is found to depend only weakly on alpha and the HIC index,
eta. In particular, for low Eo, it is practically independent, and is
determined mainly by Eo. The relation between the hardness ratio and the lags,
for a certain Eo are described by power-laws, as alpha varies. We also discuss
the expected signatures of a sample of hard spectral pulses (e.g. thermal or
small pitch-angle synchrotron emission) versus soft spectral pulses (e.g.
optically-thin synchrotron emission). Also the expected differences between a
sample of low energetic bursts (such as X-ray flashes) and of high energetic
bursts (classical bursts) are discussed.Comment: Accepted by A&
Probing the mass loss history of carbon stars using CO line and dust continuum emission
An extensive modelling of CO line emission from the circumstellar envelopes
around a number of carbon stars is performed. By combining radio observations
and infrared observations obtained by ISO the circumstellar envelope
characteristics are probed over a large radial range. In the radiative transfer
analysis the observational data are consistently reproduced assuming a
spherically symmetric and smooth wind expanding at a constant velocity. The
combined data set gives better determined envelope parameters, and puts
constraints on the mass loss history of these carbon stars. The importance of
dust in the excitation of CO is addressed using a radiative transfer analysis
of the observed continuum emission, and it is found to have only minor effects
on the derived line intensities. The analysis of the dust emission also puts
further constraints on the mass loss rate history. The stars presented here are
not likely to have experienced any drastic long-term mass loss rate
modulations, at least less than a factor of about 5, over the past thousands of
years. Only three, out of nine, carbon stars were observed long enough by ISO
to allow a detection of CO far-infrared rotational lines.Comment: 11pages, 7 figures, accepted by A&
Modelling CO emission from Mira's wind
We have modelled the circumstellar envelope of {\it o} Ceti (Mira) using new
observational constraints. These are obtained from photospheric light scattered
in near-IR vibrational-rotational lines of circumstellar CO molecules at 4.6
micron: absolute fluxes, the radial dependence of the scattered intensity, and
two line ratios. Further observational constraints are provided by ISO
observations of far-IR emission lines from highly excited rotational states of
the ground vibrational state of CO, and radio observations of lines from
rotational levels of low excitation of CO. A code based on the Monte-Carlo
technique is used to model the circumstellar line emission.
We find that it is possible to model the radio and ISO fluxes, as well as the
highly asymmetric radio-line profiles, reasonably well with a spherically
symmetric and smooth stellar wind model. However, it is not possible to
reproduce the observed NIR line fluxes consistently with a `standard model' of
the stellar wind. This is probably due to incorrectly specified conditions of
the inner regions of the wind model, since the stellar flux needs to be larger
than what is obtained from the standard model at the point of scattering, i.e.,
the intermediate regions at approximately 100-400 stellar radii (2"-7") away
from the star. Thus, the optical depth in the vibrational-rotational lines from
the star to the point of scattering has to be decreased. This can be
accomplished in several ways. For instance, the gas close to the star (within
approximately 2") could be in such a form that light is able to pass through,
either due to the medium being clumpy or by the matter being in radial
structures (which, further out, developes into more smooth or shell-like
structures).Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Chemical evolution of the Galactic Center
In recent years, the Galactic Center (GC) region (200 pc in radius) has been
studied in detail with spectroscopic stellar data as well as an estimate of the
ongoing star formation rate. The aims of this paper are to study the chemical
evolution of the GC region by means of a detailed chemical evolution model and
to compare the results with high resolution spectroscopic data in order to
impose constraints on the GC formation history.The chemical evolution model
assumes that the GC region formed by fast infall of gas and then follows the
evolution of alpha-elements and Fe. We test different initial mass functions
(IMFs), efficiencies of star formation and gas infall timescales. To reproduce
the currently observed star formation rate, we assume a late episode of star
formation triggered by gas infall/accretion. We find that, in order to
reproduce the [alpha/Fe] ratios as well as the metallicity distribution
function observed in GC stars, the GC region should have experienced a main
early strong burst of star formation, with a star formation efficiency as high
as 25 Gyr^{-1}, occurring on a timescale in the range 0.1-0.7 Gyr, in agreement
with previous models of the entire bulge. Although the small amount of data
prevents us from drawing firm conclusions, we suggest that the best IMF should
contain more massive stars than expected in the solar vicinity, and the last
episode of star formation, which lasted several hundred million years, should
have been triggered by a modest episode of gas infall/accretion, with a star
formation efficiency similar to that of the previous main star formation
episode. This last episode of star formation produces negligible effects on the
abundance patterns and can be due to accretion of gas induced by the bar. Our
results exclude an important infall event as a trigger for the last starburst.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Failed Gamma-Ray Bursts: Thermal UV/Soft X-ray Emission Accompanied by Peculiar Afterglows
We show that the photospheres of "failed" Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), whose bulk
Lorentz factors are much lower than 100, can be outside of internal shocks. The
resulting radiation from the photospheres is thermal and bright in UV/Soft
X-ray band. The photospheric emission lasts for about one thousand seconds with
luminosity about several times 10^46 erg/s. These events can be observed by
current and future satellites. It is also shown that the afterglows of failed
GRBs are peculiar at the early stage, which makes it possible to distinguish
failed GRBs from ordinary GRBs and beaming-induced orphan afterglows.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Properties of the intermediate type of gamma-ray bursts
Gamma-ray bursts can be divided into three groups ("short", "intermediate",
"long") with respect to their durations. The third type of gamma-ray bursts -
as known - has the intermediate duration. We show that the intermediate group
is the softest one. An anticorrelation between the hardness and the duration is
found for this subclass in contrast to the short and long groups.Comment: In Sixteenth Maryland Astrophysics Conferenc
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