| 1. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
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Fermi Observations of High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emission from GRB 080916C
- 2009
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 323:5922, s. 1688-1693
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are highly energetic explosions signaling the death of massive stars in distant galaxies. The Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and Large Area Telescope onboard the Fermi Observatory together record GRBs over a broad energy range spanning about 7 decades of gamma-ray energy. In September 2008, Fermi observed the exceptionally luminous GRB 080916C, with the largest apparent energy release yet measured. The high-energy gamma rays are observed to start later and persist longer than the lower energy photons. A simple spectral form fits the entire GRB spectrum, providing strong constraints on emission models. The known distance of the burst enables placing lower limits on the bulk Lorentz factor of the outflow and on the quantum gravity mass.
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| 2. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(författare)
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DETECTION OF A SPECTRAL BREAK IN THE EXTRA HARD COMPONENT OF GRB 090926A
- 2011
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 729:2, s. 114-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the observation of the bright, long gamma-ray burst, GRB 090926A, by the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and Large Area Telescope (LAT) instruments on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. GRB 090926A shares several features with other bright LAT bursts. In particular, it clearly shows a short spike in the light curve that is present in all detectors that see the burst, and this in turn suggests that there is a common region of emission across the entire Fermi energy range. In addition, while a separate high-energy power-law component has already been observed in other gamma-ray bursts, here we report for the first time the detection with good significance of a high-energy spectral break (or cutoff) in this power-law component around 1.4 GeV in the time-integrated spectrum. If the spectral break is caused by opacity to electron-positron pair production within the source, then this observation allows us to compute the bulk Lorentz factor for the outflow, rather than a lower limit.
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| 3. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
-
BRIGHT ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI SOURCE LIST FROM THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE ALL-SKY SURVEY
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 700:1, s. 597-622
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The first three months of sky-survey operation with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope reveal 132 bright sources at |b| > 10 degrees with test statistic greater than 100 ( corresponding to about 10 sigma). Two methods, based on the CGRaBS, CRATES, and BZCat catalogs, indicate high-confidence associations of 106 of these sources with known active galactic nuclei (AGNs). This sample is referred to as the LAT Bright AGN Sample (LBAS). It contains two radio galaxies, namely, Centaurus A and NGC 1275, and 104 blazars consisting of 58 flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), 42 BL Lac objects, and 4 blazars with unknown classification. Four new blazars were discovered on the basis of the LAT detections. Remarkably, the LBAS includes 10 high-energy-peaked BL Lacs (HBLs), sources which were previously difficult to detect in the GeV range. Another 10 lower-confidence associations are found. Only 33 of the sources, plus two at |b| < 10 degrees, were previously detected with Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope( EGRET), probably due to variability. The analysis of the gamma-ray properties of the LBAS sources reveals that the average GeV spectra of BL Lac objects are significantly harder than the spectra of FSRQs. No significant correlation between radio and peak gamma-ray fluxes is observed. Blazar log N-log S distributions and luminosity functions are constructed to investigate the evolution of the different blazar classes, with positive evolution indicated for FSRQs but none for BL Lacs. The contribution of LAT blazars to the total extragalactic gamma-ray intensity is estimated.
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| 4. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
-
DISCOVERY OF PULSED gamma-RAYS FROM PSR J0034-0534 WITH THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE : A CASE FOR CO-LOCATED RADIO AND gamma-RAY EMISSION REGIONS
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 712:2, s. 957-963
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) have been firmly established as a class of gamma-ray emitters via the detection of pulsations above 0.1 GeV from eight MSPs by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Using 13 months of LAT data, significant gamma-ray pulsations at the radio period have been detected from the MSP PSR J0034-0534, making it the ninth clear MSP detection by the LAT. The gamma-ray light curve shows two peaks separated by 0.274 +/- 0.015 in phase which are very nearly aligned with the radio peaks, a phenomenon seen only in the Crab pulsar until now. The >= 0.1 GeV spectrum of this pulsar is well fit by an exponentially cutoff power law with a cutoff energy of 1.8 +/- 0.6 +/- 0.1 GeV and a photon index of 1.5 +/- 0.2 +/- 0.1, first errors are statistical and second are systematic. The near-alignment of the radio and gamma-ray peaks strongly suggests that the radio and gamma-ray emission regions are co-located and both are the result of caustic formation.
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| 5. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
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EARLY FERMI GAMMA-RAY SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF THE QUASAR 3C 454.3
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 699:1, s. 817-823
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This is the first report of Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope observations of the quasar 3C 454.3, which has been undergoing pronounced long-term outbursts since 2000. The data from the Large Area Telescope, covering 2008 July 7-October 6, indicate strong, highly variable.-ray emission with an average flux of similar to 3 x 10 (6) photons cm(-2) s(-1), for energies > 100 MeV. The gamma-ray flux is variable, with strong, distinct, symmetrically shaped flares for which the flux increases by a factor of several on a timescale of about 3 days. This variability indicates a compact emission region, and the requirement that the source is optically thin to pair production implies relativistic beaming with Doppler factor delta > 8, consistent with the values inferred from Very Long Baseline Interferometry observations of superluminal expansion (delta similar to 25). The observed gamma-ray spectrum is not consistent with a simple power law, but instead steepens strongly above similar to 2 GeV, and is well described by a broken power law with photon indices of similar to 2.3 and similar to 3.5 below and above the break, respectively. This is the first direct observation of a break in the spectrum of a high-luminosity blazar above 100 MeV, and it is likely direct evidence for an intrinsic break in the energy distribution of the radiating particles. Alternatively, the spectral softening above 2 GeV could be due to gamma-ray absorption via photon-photon pair production on the soft X-ray photon field of the host active galactic nucleus, but such an interpretation would require the dissipation region to be located very close (less than or similar to 100 gravitational radii) to the black hole, which would be inconsistent with the X-ray spectrum of the source.
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| 6. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
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Fermi detection of delayed GeV emission from the short gamma-ray burst 081024B
- 2010
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 712:1, s. 558-564
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the detailed analysis of the high-energy extended emission from the short gamma-ray burst (GRB) 081024B detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Historically, this represents the first clear detection of temporal extended emission from a short GRB. The light curve observed by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor lasts approximately 0.8 s whereas the emission in the Fermi Large Area Telescope lasts for about 3 s. Evidence of longer lasting high-energy emission associated with long bursts has been already reported by previous experiments. Our observations, together with the earlier reported study of the bright short GRB 090510, indicate similarities in the high-energy emission of short and long GRBs and open the path to new interpretations.
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| 7. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
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FERMI OBSERVATIONS OF GRB 090902B : A DISTINCT SPECTRAL COMPONENT IN THE PROMPT AND DELAYED EMISSION
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - 2041-8205 .- 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 706:1, s. L138-L144
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the observation of the bright, long gamma-ray burst (GRB), GRB 090902B, by the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and Large Area Telescope (LAT) instruments on-board the Fermi observatory. This was one of the brightest GRBs to have been observed by the LAT, which detected several hundred photons during the prompt phase. With a redshift of z = 1.822, this burst is among the most luminous detected by Fermi. Time-resolved spectral analysis reveals a significant power-law component in the LAT data that is distinct from the usual Band model emission that is seen in the sub-MeV energy range. This power-law component appears to extrapolate from the GeV range to the lowest energies and is more intense than the Band component, both below similar to 50 keV and above 100 MeV. The Band component undergoes substantial spectral evolution over the entire course of the burst, while the photon index of the power-law component remains constant for most of the prompt phase, then hardens significantly toward the end. After the prompt phase, power-law emission persists in the LAT data as late as 1 ks post-trigger, with its flux declining as t(-1.5). The LAT detected a photon with the highest energy so far measured from a GRB, 33.4(-3.5)(+ 2.7) GeV. This event arrived 82 s after the GBM trigger and similar to 50 s after the prompt phase emission had ended in the GBM band. We discuss the implications of these results for models of GRB emission and for constraints on models of the extragalactic background light.
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| 8. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
-
SUZAKU OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS QUASARS : REVEALING THE NATURE OF HIGH-ENERGY BLAZAR EMISSION IN LOW-LEVEL ACTIVITY STATES
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 716:1, s. 835-849
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the results from the Suzaku X-ray observations of five flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), namely PKS 0208-512, Q 0827+243, PKS 1127-145, PKS 1510-089, and 3C 454.3. All these sources were additionally monitored simultaneously or quasi-simultaneously by the Fermi satellite in gamma rays and the Swift UVOT in the UV and optical bands, respectively. We constructed their broadband spectra covering the frequency range from 10(14) Hz up to 10(25) Hz, and those reveal the nature of high-energy emission of luminous blazars in their low-activity states. The analyzed X-ray spectra are well fitted by a power-law model with photoelectric absorption. In the case of PKS 0208-512, PKS 1127-145, and 3C 454.3, the X-ray continuum showed indication of hardening at low energies. Moreover, when compared with the previous X-ray observations, we see a significantly increasing contribution of low-energy photons to the total X-ray fluxes when the sources are getting fainter. The same behavior can be noted in the Suzaku data alone. A likely explanation involves a variable, flat-spectrum component produced via inverse-Compton emission, plus an additional, possibly steady soft X-ray component prominent when the source gets fainter. This soft X-ray excess is represented either by a steep power-law (photon indices Gamma similar to 3-5) or a blackbody-type emission with temperatures kT similar to 0.1-0.2 keV. We model the broadband spectra of the five observed FSRQs using synchrotron self-Compton and/or external-Compton radiation models. Our modeling suggests that the difference between the low-and high-activity states in luminous blazars is due to the different total kinetic power of the jet, most likely related to varying bulk Lorentz factor of the outflow within the blazar emission zone.
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| 9. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
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The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope Discovers the Pulsar in the Young Galactic Supernova Remnant CTA 1
- 2008
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 322:5905, s. 1218-1221
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Energetic young pulsars and expanding blast waves [ supernova remnants (SNRs)] are the most visible remains after massive stars, ending their lives, explode in core-collapse supernovae. The Fermi Gamma- Ray Space Telescope has unveiled a radio quiet pulsar located near the center of the compact synchrotron nebula inside the supernova remnant CTA 1. The pulsar, discovered through its gamma- ray pulsations, has a period of 316.86 milliseconds and a period derivative of 3.614 x 10(-13) seconds per second. Its characteristic age of 10(4) years is comparable to that estimated for the SNR. We speculate that most unidentified Galactic gamma- ray sources associated with star- forming regions and SNRs are such young pulsars.
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| 10. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
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The first catalog of active galactic nuclei detected by the Fermi large area telescope
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 715:1, s. 429-457
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the first catalog of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT), corresponding to 11 months of data collected in scientific operation mode. The First LAT AGN Catalog (1LAC) includes 671 gamma-ray sources located at high Galactic latitudes (|b| > 10 degrees) that are detected with a test statistic greater than 25 and associated statistically with AGNs. Some LAT sources are associated with multiple AGNs, and consequently, the catalog includes 709 AGNs, comprising 300 BL Lacertae objects, 296 flat-spectrum radio quasars, 41 AGNs of other types, and 72 AGNs of unknown type. We also classify the blazars based on their spectral energy distributions as archival radio, optical, and X-ray data permit. In addition to the formal 1LAC sample, we provide AGN associations for 51 low-latitude LAT sources and AGN "affiliations" (unquantified counterpart candidates) for 104 high-latitude LAT sources without AGN associations. The overlap of the 1LAC with existing gamma-ray AGN catalogs (LBAS, EGRET, AGILE, Swift, INTEGRAL, TeVCat) is briefly discussed. Various properties-such as gamma-ray fluxes and photon power-law spectral indices, redshifts, gamma-ray luminosities, variability, and archival radio luminosities-and their correlations are presented and discussed for the different blazar classes. We compare the 1LAC results with predictions regarding the gamma-ray AGN populations, and we comment on the power of the sample to address the question of the blazar sequence.
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| 11. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
-
The first fermi large area telescope catalog of gamma-ray pulsars
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 187:2, s. 460-494
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The dramatic increase in the number of known gamma-ray pulsars since the launch of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (formerly GLAST) offers the first opportunity to study a sizable population of these high-energy objects. This catalog summarizes 46 high-confidence pulsed detections using the first six months of data taken by the Large Area Telescope (LAT), Fermi's main instrument. Sixteen previously unknown pulsars were discovered by searching for pulsed signals at the positions of bright gamma-ray sources seen with the LAT, or at the positions of objects suspected to be neutron stars based on observations at other wavelengths. The dimmest observed flux among these gamma-ray-selected pulsars is 6.0 x 10(-8) ph cm(-2) s(-1) (for E > 100 MeV). Pulsed gamma-ray emission was discovered from 24 known pulsars by using ephemerides (timing solutions) derived from monitoring radio pulsars. Eight of these new gamma-ray pulsars are millisecond pulsars. The dimmest observed flux among the radio-selected pulsars is 1.4 x 10(-8) ph cm(-2) s(-1) (for E > 100 MeV). The remaining six gamma-ray pulsars were known since the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory mission, or before. The limiting flux for pulse detection is non-uniform over the sky owing to different background levels, especially near the Galactic plane. The pulsed energy spectra can be described by a power law with an exponential cutoff, with cutoff energies in the range similar to 1-5 GeV. The rotational energy-loss rate ((E) over dot) of these neutron stars spans five decades, from similar to 3 x 10(33) erg s(-1) to 5 x 10(38) erg s(-1), and the apparent efficiencies for conversion to gammaray emission range from similar to 0.1% to similar to unity, although distance uncertainties complicate efficiency estimates. The pulse shapes show substantial diversity, but roughly 75% of the gamma-ray pulse profiles have two peaks, separated by greater than or similar to 0.2 of rotational phase. For most of the pulsars, gamma-ray emission appears to come mainly from the outer magnetosphere, while polar-cap emission remains plausible for a remaining few. Spatial associations imply that many of these pulsars power pulsar wind nebulae. Finally, these discoveries suggest that gamma-ray-selected young pulsars are born at a rate comparable to that of their radio-selected cousins and that the birthrate of all young gamma-ray-detected pulsars is a substantial fraction of the expected Galactic supernova rate.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
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The on-orbit calibration of the Fermi Large Area Telescope
- 2009
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Ingår i: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 32:3-4, s. 193-219
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on-board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope began its on-orbit operations on June 23, 2008. Calibrations, defined in a generic sense, correspond to synchronization of trigger signals, optimization of delays for latching data, determination of detector thresholds, gains and responses, evaluation of the perimeter of the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), measurements of live time, of absolute time, and internal and spacecraft boresight alignments. Here we describe on-orbit calibration results obtained using known astrophysical sources, galactic cosmic rays, and charge injection into the front-end electronics of each detector. Instrument response functions will be described in a separate publication. This paper demonstrates the stability of calibrations and describes minor changes observed since launch. These results have been used to calibrate the LAT datasets to be publicly released in August 2009.
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| 14. |
- Abdo, A. A., et al.
(författare)
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THE VELA PULSAR : RESULTS FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF FERMI LAT OBSERVATIONS
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 713:1, s. 154-165
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on analysis of timing and spectroscopy of the Vela pulsar using 11 months of observations with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The intrinsic brightness of Vela at GeV energies combined with the angular resolution and sensitivity of the LAT allows us to make the most detailed study to date of the energy-dependent light curves and phase-resolved spectra, using a LAT-derived timing model. The light curve consists of two peaks (P1 and P2) connected by bridge emission containing a third peak (P3). We have confirmed the strong decrease of the P1/P2 ratio with increasing energy seen with EGRET and previous Fermi LAT data, and observe that P1 disappears above 20 GeV. The increase with energy of the mean phase of the P3 component can be followed with much greater detail, showing that P3 and P2 are present up to the highest energies of pulsation. We find significant pulsed emission at phases outside the main profile, indicating that magnetospheric emission exists over 80% of the pulsar period. With increased high-energy counts the phase-averaged spectrum is seen to depart from a power law with simple exponential cutoff, and is better fit with a more gradual cutoff. The spectra in fixed-count phase bins are well fit with power laws with exponential cutoffs, revealing a strong and complex phase dependence of the cutoff energy, especially in the peaks. By combining these results with predictions of the outer magnetosphere models that map emission characteristics to phase, it will be possible to probe the particle acceleration and the structure of the pulsar magnetosphere with unprecedented detail.
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| 15. |
- Ackermann, M., et al.
(författare)
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Fermi observations of GRB 090510 : A short-hard gamma-ray burst with an additional, hard power-law component from 10 keV to GeV energies
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 716:2, s. 1178-1190
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present detailed observations of the bright short-hard gamma-ray burst GRB 090510 made with the Gammaray Burst Monitor (GBM) and Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi observatory. GRB 090510 is the first burst detected by the LAT that shows strong evidence for a deviation from a Band spectral fitting function during the prompt emission phase. The time-integrated spectrum is fit by the sum of a Band function with E-peak = 3.9 +/- 0.3 MeV, which is the highest yet measured, and a hard power-law component with photon index -1.62 +/- 0.03 that dominates the emission below approximate to 20 keV and above approximate to 100 MeV. The onset of the high-energy spectral component appears to be delayed by similar to 0.1 s with respect to the onset of a component well fit with a single Band function. A faint GBM pulse and a LAT photon are detected 0.5 s before the main pulse. During the prompt phase, the LAT detected a photon with energy 30.5(-2.6)(+5.8) GeV, the highest ever measured from a short GRB. Observation of this photon sets a minimum bulk outflow Lorentz factor, Gamma greater than or similar to 1200, using simple.. opacity arguments for this GRB at redshift z = 0.903 and a variability timescale on the order of tens of ms for the approximate to 100 keV-few MeV flux. Stricter high confidence estimates imply Gamma greater than or similar to 1000 and still require that the outflows powering short GRBs are at least as highly relativistic as those of long-duration GRBs. Implications of the temporal behavior and power-law shape of the additional component on synchrotron/synchrotron self-Compton, external-shock synchrotron, and hadronic models are considered.
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| 16. |
- Band, D. L., et al.
(författare)
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PROSPECTS FOR GRB SCIENCE WITH THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE
- 2009
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 701:2, s. 1673-1694
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Large Area Telescope (LAT) instrument on the Fermi mission will reveal the rich spectral and temporal gamma-ray burst (GRB) phenomena in the > 100 MeV band. The synergy with Fermi's Gamma-ray Burst Monitor detectors will link these observations to those in the well explored 10-1000 keV range; the addition of the > 100 MeV band observations will resolve theoretical uncertainties about burst emission in both the prompt and afterglow phases. Trigger algorithms will be applied to the LAT data both onboard the spacecraft and on the ground. The sensitivity of these triggers will differ because of the available computing resources onboard and on the ground. Here we present the LAT's burst detection methodologies and the instrument's GRB capabilities.
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| 17. |
- De Pasquale, M, et al.
(författare)
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SWIFT AND FERMI OBSERVATIONS OF THE EARLY AFTERGLOW OF THE SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURST 090510
- 2010
-
Ingår i: ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS. - 2041-8205. ; 709:2, s. L146-L151
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the observations of GRB090510 performed by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope and the Swift observatory. This is a bright, short burst that shows an extended emission detected in the GeV range. Furthermore, its optical emission initially rises, a feature so far observed only in long bursts, while the X-ray flux shows an initial shallow decrease, followed by a steeper decay. This exceptional behavior enables us to investigate the physical properties of the gamma-ray burst outflow, poorly known in short bursts. We discuss internal and external shock models for the broadband energy emission of this object.
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| 18. |
- Foley, S., et al.
(författare)
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Global Characteristics Of Gamma-Ray Bursts Observed With Integral
- 2009
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Ingår i: Baltic Astronomy. - 1392-0049. ; 18:3-4, s. 279-283
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The gamma-ray instruments on board INTEGRAL have detected and localized 62 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) to date. The peak flux distribution of these bursts shows that INTEGRAL detects proportionally more weak GRBs than Swift because of its higher sensitivity in a smaller field of view. Spectral lags, i.e., the time delay in the arrival of low-energy gamma rays with respect to high-energy gamma rays, are measured for 31 of the GRBs. Two groups are identified in the spectral lag distribution of INTEGRAL GRBs, one with short lags < 0.75 s (between 25-50 keV and 50-300 keV) and one with long lags > 0.75 s. Most of the long-lag GRBs are inferred to have low redshifts because of their long spectral lags. They are mainly observed in the direction of the supergalactic plane and hence reflect the local large-scale structure of the Universe. This low-luminosity population appears to be distinct from typical cosmological GRBs.
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| 19. |
- Foley, S., et al.
(författare)
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Spectral lags of GRBs observed with INTEGRAL and the inferred large population of low-luminosity GRBs
- 2009
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Ingår i: Gamma-ray bursts. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 9780735406704 ; , s. 362-367
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The γ-ray instruments on board INTEGRAL detected and localised 47 GRBs from its launch in October 2002 up to July 2007. The peak flux distribution shows that INTEGRAL detects proportionally more weak GRBs than Swift because of its higher sensitivity in a smaller field of view. The all-sky rate of GRBs above ∼0.15ph cm 2 s- 1 is ∼1400yr -1 in the fully coded field of view of IBIS. Spectral lags i.e. the time delay in the arrival of low-energy γ-rays with respect to high-energy γ-rays, are measured for 31 of the GRBs. Two groups are identified in the spectral lag distribution of INTEGRAL GRBs, one with short lags<0.75 s (between 25-50 keV and 50-300 keV) and one with long lags > 0.75 s. Most of the long-lag GRBs are inferred to have low redshifts because of their long spectral lags, their tendency to have low peak energies, and their faint optical and X-ray afterglows. They are mainly observed in the direction of the supergalactic plane with a quadrupole moment of Q = -0.225 ±0.090 and hence reflect the local large-scale structure of the Universe. The rate of long-lag GRBs with inferred low luminosity is ∼25% of Type Ib/c SNe. Some of these bursts could be produced by the collapse of a massive star without a SN. Alternatively, they could result from a different progenitor, such as the merger of two white dwarfs or a white dwarf with a neutron star or black hole, possibly in the cluster environment without a host galaxy.
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| 20. |
- Foley, S., et al.
(författare)
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The spectral lag distribution of swift gamma-ray bursts
- 2009
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Ingår i: Gamma-Ray Busts. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 9780735406704 ; , s. 403-405
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Swift has detected 350 GRBs from its launch in November 2004 up to August 2008. Approximately one third of these bursts have a measured redshift. We present the spectral lag distributions of long and short-duration Swift GRBs. The spectral lags are determined using a cross-correlation analysis between lightcurves in the 15-25 and 50-100 keV BAT energy channels. The proposed relationship between spectral lag and isotropic peak luminosity is investigated for the GRBs with known redshift. The sensitivity of BAT does not allow the lags of very faint bursts to be measured and so a correlation between faint, long-lag Swift GRBs and the supergalactic plane cannot be confirmed using this sample.
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| 21. |
- Goldstein, Adam, et al.
(författare)
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The Fermi GBM Gamma-Ray Burst Spectral Catalog : The First Two Years
- 2012
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 199:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present systematic spectral analyses of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) during its first two years of operation. This catalog contains two types of spectra extracted from 487 GRBs, and by fitting four different spectral models, this results in a compendium of over 3800 spectra. The models were selected based on their empirical importance to the spectral shape of many GRBs, and the analysis performed was devised to be as thorough and objective as possible. We describe in detail our procedure and criteria for the analyses, and present the bulk results in the form of parameter distributions. This catalog should be considered an official product from the Fermi GBM Science Team, and the data files containing the complete results are available from the High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center.
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| 22. |
- Hanlon, L., et al.
(författare)
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Global characteristics of GRBs observed with INTEGRAL and the inferred large population of low-luminosity GRBs
- 2008
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Ingår i: Proc. Sci..
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The g-ray instruments on board INTEGRAL have detected and localised 55 GRBs from launch in October 2002 up to July 2008, including 53 long-duration GRBs (T90 ≳ 2 s) and 2 short-duration GRBs (T90 ≲ 2 s). The spectra of the majority of INTEGRAL GRBs can be well described by single power-laws. In 11 cases, models with curvature, such as the Band model or the power law plus blackbody model, are required to fit the time-averaged burst spectra. INTEGRAL detects proportionally more weak GRBs than Swift because of its higher sensitivity in a smaller field of view. The all-sky rate of GRBs above ∼0.15phcm∼2 s-1 is ∼1400yr-1 in the fully coded field of view of IBIS. Spectral lags i.e. the time delay in the arrival of low-energy g-rays with respect to high-energy g-rays, can be measured for 31 of the GRBs in the sample. Two groups are identified in the spectral lag distribution of INTEGRAL GRBs, one with short lags <0.75 s (between 25-50 keV and 50-300 keV) and one with long lags > 0.75 s. Most of the long-lag GRBs are inferred to have low redshifts because of their tendency to have low peak energies and their faint optical and X-ray afterglows. They are mainly observed in the direction of the supergalactic plane with a quadrupole moment of Q = -0.225 ± 0.090 and hence reflect the local large-scale structure of the Universe. The rate of long-lag GRBs with inferred low luminosity is ∼25% of Type Ib/c SNe. Some of these bursts could be produced by the collapse of a massive star without a SN. Alternatively, they could result from a different progenitor, such as the merger of two white dwarfs or a white dwarf with a neutron star or black hole, possibly in the cluster environment without a host galaxy.
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| 23. |
- Larsson, Josefin, et al.
(författare)
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Spectral components in the bright, long GRB 061007 : properties of the photosphere and the nature of the outflow
- 2011
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 414:3, s. 2642-2649
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a time-resolved spectral analysis of the bright, long GRB 061007 (z = 1.261) using Swift and Suzaku data. We find that the prompt emission of the burst can be equally well explained by a photospheric component together with a power law as by a Band function, and we explore the implications of the former model. The photospheric component, which we model with a multicolour blackbody, dominates the spectra and has a very stable shape throughout the burst. This component provides a natural explanation for the hardness-intensity correlation seen within the burst and also allows us to estimate the bulk Lorentz factor and the radius of the photosphere. The power-law component dominates the fit at high energies and has a nearly constant slope of -1.5. We discuss the possibility that this component is of the same origin as the high-energy power laws recently observed in some Fermi bursts.
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| 24. |
- Martin-Carrillo, A., et al.
(författare)
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INTEGRAL detection and follow-up observations of GRBs 080414 and 080603
- 2008
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Ingår i: Proc. Sci..
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTEGRAL detected GRB 080414 during an open time observation of the Galactic disk. The long (duration ∼10 s) GRB occurred at an off-axis angle of 11.5 degrees with a peak 20-200 keV flux of 1 ph cm-2 s -1 as reported by [1]. The Watcher robotic telescope started observations of GRB 080414 33 sec post GCN trigger. Initial analysis of the first images shows no new source down to 14 magnitude [2]. The burst location was coincidentally very close (30 arcminutes) to XTE J1810-189, which was active at the time. A common origin has been ruled out. GRB 080603 was detected by INTEGRAL during the Key Programme Observation of the North Ecliptic Pole. The burst occurred at about 3 degrees off-axis with a peak 20-200 keV flux of 0.5 ph cm-2 s-1 [3] and a fluence over the same energy range of ∼10-6 erg cm-2. The GRB was within the JEM-X field of view and is well detected between 3 and 35 keV, with a lightcurve consisting of 2 main pulses of emission. Detailed spectral and temporal analyses of the γ-ray emission from both bursts, along with the X-ray characteristics of GRB 080603 and the results of the search for an optical afterglow of GRB 080414 in the Watcher data are presented.
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| 25. |
- McGlynn, Sinead, et al.
(författare)
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GRB 070707 : the first short gamma-ray burst observed by INTEGRAL
- 2008
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 486:2, s. 405-410
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. INTEGRAL has observed 47 long-duration GRBs (T-90 greater than or similar to 2 s) and 1 short-duration GRB (T-90 less than or similar to 2 s) in five years of observation since October 2002. Aims. This work presents the properties of the prompt emission of GRB 070707, which is the first short hard GRB observed by INTEGRAL. Methods. The spectral and temporal properties of GRB 070707 were determined using the two sensitive coded-mask gamma-ray instruments on board INTEGRAL, IBIS and SPI. Results. The T-90 duration was 0.8 s, and the spectrum of the prompt emission was obtained by joint deconvolution of IBIS and SPI data to yield a best fit power-law with photon index alpha = -1.19(-0.13)(+0.14) , which is consistent with the characteristics of short-hard gamma-ray bursts. The peak flux over 1 s was 1.79(-0.21)(+0.06) photons cm(-2) s(-1) and the fluence over the same interval was (2.07(-0.32)(+0.06) ) x 10(-7) erg cm(-2) in the energy range 20-200 keV. The spectral lag measured between 25-50 keV and 100-300 keV is 20 +/- 5 ms, consistent with the small or negligible lags measured for short bursts. Conclusions. The spectral and temporal properties of GRB 070707 are comparable to those of the short hard bursts detected by other gamma-ray satellites, including BATSE and Swift. We estimate a lower limit on the Lorentz factor Gamma greater than or similar to 25 for GRB 070707, assuming the typical redshift for short GRBs of z = 0.35. This limit is consistent with previous estimates for short GRBs and is smaller than the lower limits of Gamma greater than or similar to 100 calculated for long GRBs. If GRB 070707 is a member of the recently postulated class of short GRBs at z similar to 1, the lower limit on Gamma increases to Gamma greater than or similar to 35.
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| 26. |
- McGlynn, Sinéad, et al.
(författare)
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High energy emission and polarisation limits for the INTEGRAL burst GRB061122
- 2009
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 499:2, s. 465-472
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. GRB061122 is one of the brightest GRBs detected within INTEGRAL's field of view to date, with a peak flux (20-200 keV) of 32 photons cm(-2) s(-1) and fluence of 2 x 10(-5) erg cm(-2). The Spectrometer aboard INTEGRAL, SPI, can measure linear polarisation in bright GRBs through the process of Compton scattering in the Germanium detectors. Polarisation measurements of the prompt emission are relatively rare. The spectral and polarisation results can be combined to provide vital information about the circumburst region. Aims. The two gamma-ray detectors on INTEGRAL were used to investigate the spectral characteristics of GRB061122. A search for linear polarisation in the prompt emission was carried out on GRB061122 using the SPI multiple event data in the energy range 100 keV-1 MeV. The X-ray properties were examined using data from the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) on Swift. Methods. The gamma-ray spectral and temporal properties of GRB061122 were determined using IBIS and SPI. The afterglow properties were obtained using XRT. The multiple event data of GRB061122 from SPI were analysed and compared with the predicted instrument response obtained from Monte-Carlo simulations using the GEANT 4 INTEGRAL mass model. The chi(2) distributions between the real and simulated data as a function of the percentage polarisation and polarisation angle were calculated and limits on the level and angle of polarisation were obtained from the best-fit value of chi(2). Results. The prompt spectrum was best fit by a combination of a blackbody and a power-law model (the quasithermal model), with evidence for high energy emission continuing above 8 MeV. A pseudo-redshift value of pz = 0.95 +/- 0.18 was determined using the spectral fit parameters. The isotropic energy at this pseudo-redshift is 8.5 x 10(52) erg. The jet opening angle was estimated to be smaller than 2.8 degrees or larger than 11.9 degrees from the X-ray lightcurve. An upper limit of 60% polarisation was determined for the prompt emission of GRB061122, using the multiple event data from the spectrometer on INTEGRAL. Conclusions. The high energy emission observed in the spectrum may be due to the reverse shock interacting with the GRB ejecta when it is decelerated by the circumburst medium. This behaviour has been observed in a small fraction of GRBs to date, but is expected to be more commonly observed by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The conditions for polarisation are met if the jet opening angle is less than 2.8 degrees, but further constraints on the level of polarisation are not possible.
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| 27. |
- McGlynn, Sinéad, et al.
(författare)
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Thermal and non-thermal emission in gamma-ray bursts : GRB090902B as a case study
- 2010
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Ingår i: Proceedings of Science.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Photospheric (thermal) emission is inherent to the gamma-ray burst (GRB) "fireball" model. Inclusion of this component in the analysis of the GRB prompt emission explains some of the prompt GRB spectra seen by the Fermi satellite over its entire energy band. The sub-MeV peak corresponds to multi-color black body emission, and the high energy tail results from similar contributions of synchrotron emission, synchrotron self Compton (SSC) and Comptonization of the thermal photons by energetic electrons originating after dissipation of the kinetic energy above the photosphere. We study the connection between the thermal and non-thermal parts of the spectrum, and deduce the values of the free model parameters from the data. We demonstrate our analysis method on GRB 090902B.
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| 28. |
- Pe’Er, A., et al.
(författare)
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The Connection Between Thermal and Non-Thermal Emission in Gamma-ray Bursts : General considerations and GRB090902B as a Case Study
- 2011
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Ingår i: GAMMA RAY BURSTS 2010. American Institute of Physics Conference Series. - : AIP. - 9780735409163 ; , s. 91-94
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Photospheric (thermal) emission is inherent to the gamma-ray burst (GRB) “fireball” model. We show that inclusion of this component in the analysis of the GRB prompt emission phase naturally explains some of the prompt GRB spectra seen by the Fermi satellite over its entire energy band. The sub-MeV peak is explained as multi-color black body emission, and the high energy tail, extending up to the GeV band, results from roughly similar contributions of synchrotron emission, synchrotron self Compton (SSC) and Comptonization of the thermal photons by energetic electrons originating after dissipation of the kinetic energy above the photosphere. We briefly discuss the theory of multicolor black body emission from relativistically expanding plasma, before showing how the analysis method proposed results in a complete, self consistent picture of the physical conditions at both emission sites of the thermal and non-thermal radiation. Furthermore, it enables to extract the values of the free model parameters. We demonstrate the analysis method on GRB090902B, and present the values of the physical parameters deduced. We briefly discuss the uniqueness of GRB090902B-type spectra.
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| 29. |
- Pe’Er, A., et al.
(författare)
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The connection between thermal and non-thermal emission in gamma-ray bursts : general considerations and GRB090902B as a case study
- 2012
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 420:1, s. 468-482
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Photospheric (thermal) emission is inherent to the gamma-ray burst (GRB) 'fireball' model. We show here that inclusion of this component in the analysis of the GRB prompt emission phase naturally explains some of the prompt GRB spectra seen by the Fermi satellite over its entire energy band. The sub-MeV peak is explained as multicolour blackbody emission, and the high-energy tail, extending up to the GeV band, results from roughly similar contributions of synchrotron emission, synchrotron self-Compton and Comptonization of the thermal photons by energetic electrons originating after dissipation of the kinetic energy above the photosphere. We show how this analysis method results in a complete, self-consistent picture of the physical conditions at both emission sites of the thermal and non-thermal radiation. We study the connection between the thermal and non-thermal parts of the spectrum, and show how the values of the free model parameters are deduced from the data. We demonstrate our analysis method on GRB090902B: we deduce a Lorentz factor in the range 920 <= eta <= 1070, photospheric radius r(ph) similar or equal to 7.2-8.4 x 10(11) cm and dissipation radius r(gamma) >= 3.5-4.1 x 10(15) cm. By comparison to afterglow data, we deduce that a large fraction epsilon(d) approximate to 85-95 per cent of the kinetic energy is dissipated, and that a large fraction, similar to equipartition of this energy, is carried by the electrons and the magnetic field. This high value of epsilon(d) questions the 'internal shock' scenario as the main energy dissipation mechanism for this GRB.
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| 30. |
- Ryde, Felix, et al.
(författare)
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Observational evidence of dissipative photospheres in gamma-ray bursts
- 2011
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 415:4, s. 3693-3705
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The emission from a gamma-ray burst (GRB) photosphere can give rise to a variety of spectral shapes. The spectrum can retain the shape of a Planck function or it can be broadened and have the shape of a Band function. This fact is best illustrated by studying GRB090902B. The main gamma-ray spectral component is initially close to a Planck function, which can only be explained by emission from the jet photosphere. Later, the same component evolves into a broader Band function. This burst thus provides observational evidence that the photosphere can give rise to a non-thermal spectrum. We show that such a broadening is most naturally explained by subphotospheric dissipation in the jet. The broadening mainly depends on the strength and location of the dissipation, the magnetic field strength and the relation between the energy densities of thermal photons and electrons. We suggest that the evolution in spectral shape observed in GRB090902B is due to a decrease in the bulk Lorentz factor of the flow, leading to the main dissipation becoming subphotospheric. Such a change in the flow parameters can also explain the correlation observed between the peak energy of the spectrum and low-energy power-law slope, a, a correlation commonly observed in GRBs. We conclude that photospheric emission could indeed be a ubiquitous feature during the prompt phase in GRBs and play a decisive role in creating the diverse spectral shapes and spectral evolutions that are observed.
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| 31. |
- Ubertini, Pietro, et al.
(författare)
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The INTEGRAL view of Gamma-Ray Bursts
- 2011
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Ingår i: Advances in Space Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0273-1177 .- 1879-1948. ; 47:8, s. 1374-1386
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- After more than six and half years in orbit, the ESA space observatory INTEGRAL has provided new, exciting results in the soft gamma-ray energy range (from a few keV to a few MeV). With the discovery of about 700 hard X-Ray sources, it has changed our previous view of a sky composed of peculiar and "monster" sources. The new high energy sky is in fact full of a large variety of normal, very energetic emitters, characterized by new accretion and acceleration processes (see also IBIS cat4 (Bird et al., 2010). At the same time, about one GRB/month is detected and imaged by the two main gamma-ray instruments on board: IBIS and SPI. In this paper, we review the major achievements of the INTEGRAL observatory in the field of Gamma-Ray Bursts. We summarize the global properties of Gamma-Ray Bursts detected by INTEGRAL, with respect to their duration, spectral index, and peak flux distributions. We recall INTEGRAL results on the spectral lag analysis, showing how long-lag GRBs appear to form a separate population at low peak fluxes. We review the outcome of polarisation studies performed by using INTEGRAL data. Finally, concerning single GRB studies, we highlight the properties of particularly interesting Gamma-Ray Bursts in the INTEGRAL sample.
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| 32. |
- von Kienlin, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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The Second Fermi GBM Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog : The First Four Years
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 211:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This is the second of a series of catalogs of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM). It extends the first two-year catalog by two more years, resulting in an overall list of 953 GBM triggered GRBs. The intention of the GBM GRB catalog is to provide information to the community on the most important observables of the GBM detected GRBs. For each GRB the location and main characteristics of the prompt emission, the duration, peak flux and fluence are derived. The latter two quantities are calculated for the 50-300 keV energy band, where the maximum energy release of GRBs in the instrument reference system is observed and also for a broader energy band from 10-1000 keV, exploiting the full energy range of GBMs low-energy detectors. Furthermore, information is given on the settings and modifications of the triggering criteria and exceptional operational conditions during years three and four in the mission. This second catalog is an official product of the Fermi GBM science team, and the data files containing the complete results are available from the High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center.
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| 33. |
- Weltevrede, P., et al.
(författare)
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Gamma-ray and radio properties of six pulsars detected by the Fermi large area telescope
- 2010
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 708:2, s. 1426-1441
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the detection of pulsed gamma-rays for PSRs J0631+1036, J0659+1414, J0742-2822, J1420-6048, J1509-5850, and J1718-3825 using the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (formerly known as GLAST). Although these six pulsars are diverse in terms of their spin parameters, they share an important feature: their gamma-ray light curves are (at least given the current count statistics) single peaked. For two pulsars, there are hints for a double-peaked structure in the light curves. The shapes of the observed light curves of this group of pulsars are discussed in the light of models for which the emission originates from high up in the magnetosphere. The observed phases of the gamma-ray light curves are, in general, consistent with those predicted by high-altitude models, although we speculate that the gamma-ray emission of PSR J0659+1414, possibly featuring the softest spectrum of all Fermi pulsars coupled with a very low efficiency, arises from relatively low down in the magnetosphere. High-quality radio polarization data are available showing that all but one have a high degree of linear polarization. This allows us to place some constraints on the viewing geometry and aids the comparison of the gamma-ray light curves with high-energy beam models.
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