No Arabic abstract
We compared the time (or time limit) of onset for optical afterglow emission to the gamma-ray variability V in 76 GRBs with redshifts. In the subset (25 cases) with the rise evident in the data, we fit the shape of the onset peak as well and compared the rising and decaying indices to V. We did not find any evidence for any patterns between these properties and there is no statistical support for any correlations. This indicates a lack of connection between irregularities of the prompt gamma-ray emission and the establishment of the afterglow phase. In the ordinary prompt internal shocks interpretation, this would indicate a lack of relationship between V and the bulk Lorentz factor of the event.
We continue our systematic statistical study of various components in gamma-ray burst (GRB) optical lightcurves. We decompose the early onset bump and the late re-brightening bump with empirical fits and analyze their statistical properties. Among the 146 GRBs that have well-sampled optical lightcurves, the onset and re-brightening bumps are observed in 38 and 26 GRBs, respectively. It is found that the typical rising and decaying slopes for both the onset and re-brightening bumps are ~1.5 and -1.15, respectively. No early onset bumps in the X-ray band are detected to be associated with the optical onset bumps, while an X-ray re-brightening bump is detected for half of the re-brightening optical bumps. The peak luminosity is anti-correlated with the peak time, L_ppropto t_{p}^{-1.81+/-0.32} and L_ppropto t_{p}^{-0.83+/-0.17} for the onset and re-brightening bumps, respectively. Both L_p and the isotropic energy release of the onset bumps are correlated with E_{gamma, iso}, whereas no similar correlation is found for the re-brightening bumps. Taking the onset bumps as probes for the properties of the fireballs and their ambient medium, we find that the typical power-law index of the relativistic electrons is 2.5 and the medium density profile behaves as npropto r^{-1} within the framework of the synchrotron external shock models. With the medium density profile obtained from our analysis, we also confirm the correlation between initial Lorentz factor (Gamma_0) and E_{gamma, iso} in our previous work. The jet component that produces the re-brightening bump seems to be on-axis and independent of the prompt emission jet component. Its typical kinetic energy budget would be about one order of magnitude larger than the prompt emission component, but with a lower Gamma_0, typically several tens.
We present an analysis of the unusual optical light curve of the gamma-ray burst GRB 081029, a long-soft burst with a redshift of z = 3.8479. We combine X-ray and optical observations from the Swift X-Ray Telescope and the Swift UltraViolet/Optical Telescope with ground-based optical and infrared data obtained using the REM, ROTSE, and CTIO 1.3-m telescopes to construct a detailed data set extending from 86 s to approximately 100,000 s after the BAT trigger. Our data cover a wide energy range, from 10 keV to 0.77 eV (1.24 to 16,000 Angstrom). The X-ray afterglow shows a shallow initial decay followed by a rapid decay starting at about 18,000 s. The optical and infrared afterglow, however, shows an uncharacteristic rise at about 3000 s that does not correspond to any feature in the X-ray light curve. Our data are not consistent with synchrotron radiation from a jet interacting with an external medium, a two-component jet, or continuous energy injection from the central engine. We find that the optical light curves can be broadly explained by a collision between two ejecta shells within a two-component jet. A growing number of gamma-ray burst afterglows are consistent with complex jets, which suggests that some (or all) gamma-ray burst jets are complex and will require detailed modelling to fully understand them.
In order to constrain the broad-band spectral energy distribution of the afterglow of GRB 100621A, dedicated observations were performed in the optical/near-infrared with the 7-channel Gamma-Ray Burst Optical and Near-infrared Detector (GROND) at the 2.2m MPG/ESO telescope, in the sub-millimeter band with the large bolometer array LABOCA at APEX, and at radio frequencies with ATCA. Utilizing also Swift X-ray observations, we attempt an interpretation of the observational data within the fireball scenario. The afterglow of GRB 100621A shows a very complex temporal as well as spectral evolution. We identify three different emission components, the most spectacular one causing a sudden intensity jump about one hour after the prompt emission. The spectrum of this component is much steeper than the canonical afterglow. We interpret this component using the prescription of Vlasis et al. (2011) for a two-shell collision after the first shell has been decelerated by the circumburst medium. We use the fireball scenario to derive constraints on the microphysical parameters of the first shell. Long-term energy injection into a narrow jet seems to provide an adequate description. Another noteworthy result is the large ($A_V$ = 3.6 mag) line-of-sight host extinction of the afterglow in an otherwise extremely blue host galaxy.
We report the first detection of radio polarization of a GRB afterglow with the first intensive combined use of telescopes in the millimeter and submillimeter ranges for GRB171205A. The linear polarization degree in the millimeter band at the sub-percent level ($0.27 pm 0.04%$) is lower than those observed in late-time optical afterglows (weighted average of $sim 1%$). The Faraday depolarization by non-accelerated, cool electrons in the shocked region is one of possible mechanisms for the low value. In this scenario, larger total energy by a factor of $sim 10$ than ordinary estimate without considering non-accelerated electrons is required. The polarization position angle varies by at least 20 degrees across the millimeter band, which is not inconsistent with this scenario. This result indicates that polarimetry in the millimeter and submillimeter ranges is a unique tool for investigating GRB energetics, and coincident observations with multiple frequencies or bands would provide more accurate measurements of the non-accelerated electron fraction.
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are brief flashes of gamma rays, considered to be the most energetic explosive phenomena in the Universe. The emission from GRBs comprises a short (typically tens of seconds) and bright prompt emission, followed by a much longer afterglow phase. During the afterglow phase, the shocked outflow -- produced by the interaction between the ejected matter and the circumburst medium -- slows down, and a gradual decrease in brightness is observed. GRBs typically emit most of their energy via gamma-rays with energies in the kiloelectronvolt-to-megaelectronvolt range, but a few photons with energies of tens of gigaelectronvolts have been detected by space-based instruments. However, the origins of such high-energy (above one gigaelectronvolt) photons and the presence of very-high-energy (more than 100 gigaelectronvolts) emission have remained elussive. Here we report observations of very-high-energy emission in the bright GRB 180720B deep in the GRB afterglow -ten hours after the end of the prompt emission phase, when the X-ray flux had already decayed by four orders of magnitude. Two possible explanations exist for the observed radiation: inverse Compton emission and synchrotron emission of ultrarelativistic electrons. Our observations show that the energy fluxes in the X-ray and gamma-ray range and their photon indices remain comparable to each other throughout the afterglow. This discovery places distinct constraints on the GRB environment for both emission mechanisms, with the inverse Compton explanation alleviating the particle energy requirements for the emission observed at late times. The late timing of this detection has consequences for the future observations of GRBs at the highest energies.