STOCHASTIC WAKEFIELD PLASMA ACCELERATION IN GAMMA-RAY BURSTS

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 627-632
Author(s):  
G. BARBIELLINI ◽  
F. LONGO ◽  
N. OMODEI ◽  
D. GIULIETTI ◽  
A. CELOTTI ◽  
...  

Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) prompt emission can, for specific conditions, be so powerful and short-pulsed to strongly influence any surrounding plasma. In this paper, we briefly discuss the possibility that a very intense initial burst of radiation produced by GRBs satisfy the intensity and temporal conditions to cause stochastic wake-field particle acceleration in a surrounding plasma of moderate density. We consider a simple but realistic GRB model for which particle wake-field acceleration can first be excited by a very strong low-energy precursor, and then be effective in producing the observed prompt X-ray and gamma-ray GRB emission.

2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (4) ◽  
pp. 5986-5992
Author(s):  
Nikhil Sarin ◽  
Paul D Lasky ◽  
Gregory Ashton

ABSTRACT The spin-down energy of millisecond magnetars has been invoked to explain X-ray afterglow observations of a significant fraction of short and long gamma-ray bursts. Here, we extend models previously introduced in the literature, incorporating radiative losses with the spin-down of a magnetar central engine through an arbitrary braking index. Combining this with a model for the tail of the prompt emission, we show that our model can better explain the data than millisecond-magnetar models without radiative losses or those that invoke spin-down solely through vacuum dipole radiation. We find that our model predicts a subset of X-ray flares seen in some gamma-ray bursts. We can further explain the diversity of X-ray plateaus by altering the radiative efficiency and measure the braking index of newly born millisecond magnetars. We measure the braking index of GRB061121 as $n=4.85^{+0.11}_{-0.15}$ suggesting the millisecond-magnetar born in this gamma-ray burst spins down predominantly through gravitational-wave emission.


2006 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 297-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Yu. Sazonov ◽  
A. A. Lutovinov ◽  
E. M. Churazov ◽  
R. A. Sunyaev

2021 ◽  
Vol 922 (2) ◽  
pp. 102
Author(s):  
Shu-Jin Hou ◽  
Shuang Du ◽  
Tong Liu ◽  
Hui-Jun Mu ◽  
Ren-Xin Xu

Abstract The central engine of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) remains an open and cutting-edge topic in the era of multimessenger astrophysics. X-ray plateaus appear in some GRB afterglows, which are widely considered to originate from the spindown of magnetars. According to the stable magnetar scenario of GRBs, an X-ray plateau and a decay phase ∼t −2 should appear in X-ray afterglows. Meanwhile, the “normal” X-ray afterglow is produced by the external shock from a GRB fireball. We analyze the Neil Gehrels Swift GRB data, then find three gold samples that have an X-ray plateau and a decay phase ∼t −2 superimposed on the jet-driven normal component. Based on these features of the lightcurves, we argue that the magnetars should be the central engines of these three GRBs. Future joint multimessenger observations might further test this possibility, which can then be beneficial to constrain GRB physics.


1998 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 159-162
Author(s):  
Gerald J. Fishman

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) will be recorded as one of the outstanding new phenomena discovered in astronomy this century. About once per day, a burst of gamma rays appears from a random direction on the sky. Often, the burst outshines all other sources of gamma-rays in the sky, combined. This paper reviews some of the key observed phenomenon of bursts in the hard x-ray/gamma-ray region, as observed with the BATSE experiment on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. The observed time profiles, spectral properties and durations of gamma-ray bursts cover a wide range. Recent breakthroughs in the observation of gamma-ray burst counterparts and afterglows in other wavelength regions have marked the beginning of a new era in gamma-ray burst research. Those observations are described in following papers in these proceedings.


1994 ◽  
Vol 142 ◽  
pp. 863-868
Author(s):  
Alice K. Harding

AbstractGamma-ray bursts have always been intriguing sources to study in terms of particle acceleration, but not since their discovery two decades ago has the theory of these objects been in such turmoil. Prior to the launch of Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory and observations by BATSE, there was strong evidence pointing to magnetized Galactic neutron stars as the sources of gamma-ray bursts. However, since BATSE the observational picture has changed dramatically, requiring much more distant and possibly cosmological sources. I review the history of gamma-ray burst theory from the era of growing consensus for nearby neutron stars to the recent explosion of halo and cosmological models and the impact of the present confusion on the particle acceleration problem.Subject headings: acceleration of particles — gamma rays: bursts


1998 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 163-166
Author(s):  
L. Piro

The nature of Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) has been the object of many investigations but their origin has remained a mistery primarily for the difficulties in finding a counterpart. This difficulty derived from the intrinsically poor positioning capability of available GRB detectors.


2019 ◽  
Vol 625 ◽  
pp. A60 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Ravasio ◽  
G. Ghirlanda ◽  
L. Nava ◽  
G. Ghisellini

The long-lasting tension between the observed spectra of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and the predicted synchrotron emission spectrum might be solved if electrons do not completely cool. Evidence of incomplete cooling was recently found in Swift GRBs with prompt observations down to 0.1 keV, and in one bright Fermi burst, GRB 160625B. Here we systematically search for evidence of incomplete cooling in the spectra of the ten brightest short and long GRBs observed by Fermi. We find that in eight out of ten long GRBs there is compelling evidence of a low-energy break (below the peak energy) and good agreement with the photon indices of the synchrotron spectrum (respectively −2/3 and −3/2 below the break and between the break and the peak energy). Interestingly, none of the ten short GRBs analysed shows a break, but the low-energy spectral slope is consistent with −2/3. In a standard scenario, these results imply a very low magnetic field in the emission region (B′∼10 G in the comoving frame), at odd with expectations.


2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (15) ◽  
pp. 2385-2472 ◽  
Author(s):  
BING ZHANG ◽  
PETER MÉSZÁROS

The cosmological gamma-ray burst (GRB) phenomenon is reviewed. The broad observational facts and empirical phenomenological relations of the GRB prompt emission and afterglow are outlined. A well-tested, successful fireball shock model is introduced in a pedagogical manner. Several important uncertainties in the current understanding of the phenomenon are reviewed, and prospects of how future experiments and extensive observational and theoretical efforts may address these problems are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Dainotti ◽  
R. Del Vecchio ◽  
M. Tarnopolski

The mechanism responsible for the prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is still a debated issue. The prompt phase-related GRB correlations can allow discriminating among the most plausible theoretical models explaining this emission. We present an overview of the observational two-parameter correlations, their physical interpretations, and their use as redshift estimators and possibly as cosmological tools. The nowadays challenge is to make GRBs, the farthest stellar-scaled objects observed (up to redshift z=9.4), standard candles through well established and robust correlations. However, GRBs spanning several orders of magnitude in their energetics are far from being standard candles. We describe the advances in the prompt correlation research in the past decades, with particular focus paid to the discoveries in the last 20 years.


2022 ◽  
Vol 924 (2) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Shuang-Xi Yi ◽  
Mei Du ◽  
Tong Liu

Abstract Distinct X-ray plateau and flare phases have been observed in the afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), and most of them should be related to central engine activities. In this paper, we collect 174 GRBs with X-ray plateau phases and 106 GRBs with X-ray flares. There are 51 GRBs that overlap in the two selected samples. We analyze the distributions of the proportions of the plateau energy E plateau and the flare energy E flare relative to the isotropic prompt emission energy E γ,iso. The results indicate that they well meet the Gaussian distributions and the medians of the logarithmic ratios are ∼−0.96 and −1.39 in the two cases. Moreover, strong positive correlations between E plateau (or E flare ) and E γ,iso with slopes of ∼0.95 (or ∼0.80) are presented. For the overlapping sample, the slope is ∼0.80. We argue that most of X-ray plateaus and flares might have the same physical origin but appear with different features because of the different circumstances and radiation mechanisms. We also test the applicabilities of two models, i.e., black holes surrounded by fractured hyperaccretion disks and millisecond magnetars, on the origins of X-ray plateaus and flares.


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