Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userEvidence for Luminosity Evolution of Long Gamma-ray Bursts in Swift Data
105
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
We compute the luminosity function (LF) and the formation rate of long gamma ray bursts (GRBs) by fitting the observed differential peak flux distribution obtained by the BATSE experiment in two different scenarios: i) the GRB luminosity evolves with redshift and ii) GRBs form preferentially in low-metallicity environments. In both cases, model predictions are consistent with the Swift number counts and with the number of detections at z>2.5 and z>3.5. To discriminate between the two evolutionary scenarios, we compare the model results with the number of luminous bursts (i.e. with isotropic peak luminosity in excess of 10^53 erg s^-1) detected by Swift in its first three years of mission. Our sample conservatively contains only bursts with good redshift determination and measured peak energy. We find that pure luminosity evolution models can account for the number of sure identifications. In the case of a pure density evolution scenario, models with Z_th>0.3 Zsun are ruled out with high confidence. For lower metallicity thresholds, the model results are still statistically consistent with available lower limits. However, many factors can increase the discrepancy between model results and data, indicating that some luminosity evolution in the GRB LF may be needed also for such low values of Z_th. Finally, using these new constraints, we derive robust upper limits on the bright-end of the GRB LF, showing that this cannot be steeper than ~2.6.
rate research
Read More
115 -
F. Daigne Institutn dAstrophysique de Paris - UMR 7095 CNRS et Universite Pierre et Marie Curie
2006
We predict the redshift distribution of long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) with Monte Carlo simulations. Our improved analysis constrains free parameters with three kinds of observation: (i) the log(N)-log(P) diagram of BATSE bursts; (ii) the peak energy distribution of bright BATSE bursts; (iii) the HETE2 fraction of X-ray rich GRBs and X-ray flashes. The statistical analysis of the Monte Carlo simulation results allow us to carefully study the impact of the uncertainties in the GRB intrinsic properties on the redshift distribution. The comparison with SWIFT data then leads to the following conclusions. The Amati relation should be intrinsic, if observationally confirmed by SWIFT. The progenitor and/or the GRB properties have to evolve to reproduce the high mean redshift of SWIFT bursts. Our results favor an evolution of the efficiency of GRB production by massive stars, that would be ~6-7 times higher at z~7 than at z~2. We finally predict around 10 GRBs detected by SWIFT at redshift z>6 for a three year mission. These may be sufficient to open a new observational window over the high redshift Universe.
We present a carefully selected sub-sample of Swift Long Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs), that is complete in redshift. The sample is constructed by considering only bursts with favorable observing conditions for ground-based follow-up searches, that are bright in the 15-150 keV Swift/BAT band, i.e. with 1-s peak photon fluxes in excess to 2.6 ph s^-1 cm^-2. The sample is composed by 58 bursts, 52 of them with redshift for a completeness level of 90%, while another two have a redshift constraint, reaching a completeness level of 95%. For only three bursts we have no constraint on the redshift. The high level of redshift completeness allows us for the first time to constrain the GRB luminosity function and its evolution with cosmic times in a unbiased way. We find that strong evolution in luminosity (d_l=2.3pm 0.6) or in density (d_d=1.7pm 0.5) is required in order to account for the observations. The derived redshift distribution in the two scenarios are consistent with each other, in spite of their different intrinsic redshift distribution. This calls for other indicators to distinguish among different evolution models. Complete samples are at the base of any population studies. In future works we will use this unique sample of Swift bright GRBs to study the properties of the population of long GRBs.
The complete Swift Burst Alert Telescope and X-Ray Telescope light curves of 118 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with known redshifts were fitted using the physical model of GRB pulses by Willingale et al. to produce a total of 607 pulses. We compute the pulse luminosity function utilizing three GRB formation rate models: a progenitor that traces the cosmic star formation rate density (CSFRD) with either a single population of GRBs, coupled to various evolutionary parameters, or a bimodal population of high- and low-luminosity GRBs, and a direct fit to the GRB formation rate excluding any a priori assumptions. We find that a single population of GRB pulses with an evolving luminosity function is preferred over all other univariate evolving GRB models, or bimodal luminosity functions in reproducing the observed GRB pulse L-z distribution and that the magnitude of the evolution in brightness is consistent with studies that utilize only the brightest GRB pulses. We determine that the appearance of a GRB formation rate density evolution component is an artifact of poor parametrization of the CSFRD at high redshifts rather than indicating evolution in the formation rate of early epoch GRBs. We conclude that the single brightest region of a GRB light curve holds no special property, by incorporating pulse data from the totality of GRB emission we boost the GRB population statistics by a factor of 5, rule out some models utilized to explain deficiencies in GRB formation rate modelling, and constrain more tightly some of the observed parameters of GRB behaviour.
Until 6 October 2005 sixteen redshifts have been measured of long gamma-ray bursts discovered by the Swift satellite. Further 45 redshifts have been measured of the long gamma-ray bursts discovered by other satellites. Here we perform five statistical tests comparing the redshift distributions of these two samples assuming - as the null hypothesis - identical distribution for the two samples. Three tests (Students $t$-test, Mann-Whitney test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test) reject the null hypothesis on the significance levels between 97.19 and 98.55%. Two different comparisons of the medians show extreme $(99.78-99.99994)$% significance levels of rejection. This means that the redshifts of the Swift sample and the redshifts of the non-Swift sample are distributed differently - in the Swift sample the redshifts are on average larger. This statistical result suggests that the long GRBs should on average be at the higher redshifts of the Swift sample.
There exists an inevitable scatter in intrinsic luminosity of Gamma Ray Bursts(GRBs). If there is relativistic beaming in the source, viewing angle variation necessarily introduces variation in the intrinsic luminosity function(ILF). Scatter in the ILF can cause a selection bias where distant sources that are detected have a larger median luminosity than those detected close by. Median luminosity, as we know, divides any given population into equal halves. When the functional form of a distribution is unknown, it can be a more robust diagnostic than any that use trial functional forms. In this work we employ a statistical test based on median luminosity and apply it to test a class of models for GRBs. We assume that the GRB jet has a finite opening angle and that the orientation of the GRB jet is random relative to the observer. We parameterize the jet with constant Lorentz factor $Gamma$ and opening angle $theta_0$. We calculate $L_{median}$ as a function of redshift with an average of 17 grbs in each redshift bin($dz=0.01$) empirically, theoretically and use Fermi GBM data, noting that SWIFT data is problematic as it is biased, specially at high redshifts. We find that $L_{median}$ is close to $L_{max}$ for sufficiently extended GRB jet and does not fit the data. We find an acceptable fit with the data when $Gamma$ is between $100$ and $200$, $theta_0leq 0.1$, provided that the jet material along the line of sight to the on axis observer is optically thick, such that the shielded maximum luminosity is well below the bare $L_{max}$. If we associate an on-axis observer with a classically projected monotonically decreasing afterglow, we find that their ILF is similar to those of off-jet observer which we associate with flat phase afterglows.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
