| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Veres, P., et al.
(författare)
-
Observation of inverse Compton emission from a long gamma-ray burst
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Nature. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 575:7783, s. 459-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) originate from ultra-relativistic jets launched from the collapsing cores of dying massive stars. They are characterized by an initial phase of bright and highly variable radiation in the kiloelectron volt-to-mega electronvoltband, which is probably produced within the jet and lasts from milliseconds to minutes, known as the prompt emission(1,2). Subsequently, the interaction of the jet with the surrounding medium generates shock waves that are responsible for the afterglow emission, which lasts from days to months and occurs over a broad energy range from the radio to the gigaelectronvolt bands(1-6). The afterglow emission is generally well explained as synchrotron radiation emitted by electrons accelerated by the external shock(7-9). Recently, intense long-lasting emission between 0.2 and 1 teraelectronvolts was observed from GRB 190114C(10,11). Here we report multifrequency observations of GRB 190114C, and study the evolution in time of the GRB emission across 17 orders of magnitude in energy, from 5 x 10(-6) to 10(12) electronvolts. We find that the broadband spectral energy distribution is double-peaked, with the teraelectronvolt emission constituting a distinct spectral component with power comparable to the synchrotron component. This component is associated with the afterglow and is satisfactorily explained by inverse Compton up-scattering of synchrotron photons by high-energy electrons. We find that the conditions required to account for the observed teraelectronvolt component are typical for GRBs, supporting the possibility that inverse Compton emission is commonly produced in GRBs.
|
|
| 3. |
- Amati, L., et al.
(författare)
-
The THESEUS space mission concept : science case, design and expected performances
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Advances in Space Research. - : ELSEVIER SCI LTD. - 0273-1177 .- 1879-1948. ; 62:1, s. 191-244
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- THESEUS is a space mission concept aimed at exploiting Gamma-Ray Bursts for investigating the early Universe and at providing a substantial advancement of multi-messenger and time-domain astrophysics. These goals will be achieved through a unique combination of instruments allowing GRB and X-ray transient detection over a broad field of view (more than 1 sr) with 0.5-1 arcmin localization, an energy band extending from several MeV down to 0.3 keV and high sensitivity to transient sources in the soft X-ray domain, as well as on-board prompt (few minutes) follow-up with a 0.7 m class IR telescope with both imaging and spectroscopic capabilities. THESEUS will be perfectly suited for addressing the main open issues in cosmology such as, e.g., star formation rate and metallicity evolution of the inter-stellar and intra-galactic medium up to redshift similar to 10, signatures of Pop III stars, sources and physics of re-ionization, and the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function. In addition, it will provide unprecedented capability to monitor the X-ray variable sky, thus detecting, localizing, and identifying the electromagnetic counterparts to sources of gravitational radiation, which may be routinely detected in the late '20s/early '30s by next generation facilities like aLIGO/ aVirgo, eLISA, KAGRA, and Einstein Telescope. THESEUS will also provide powerful synergies with the next generation of multi-wavelength observatories (e.g., LSST, ELT, SKA, CTA, ATHENA).
|
|
| 4. |
- Evans, P. A., et al.
(författare)
-
Swift and NuSTAR observations of GW170817 : Detection of a blue kilonova
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 358:6370, s. 1565-1569
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the first direct detection of merging black holes in 2015, the era of gravitational wave (GW) astrophysics began. A complete picture of compact object mergers, however, requires the detection of an electromagnetic (EM) counterpart. We report ultraviolet (UV) and x-ray observations by Swift and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array of the EM counter part of the binary neutron star merger GW170817. The bright, rapidly fading UV emission indicates a high mass (approximate to 0.03 solar masses) wind-driven outflow with moderate electron fraction (Y-e approximate to 0.27). Combined with the x-ray limits, we favor an observer viewing angle of approximate to 30 degrees away from the orbital rotation axis, which avoids both obscuration from the heaviest elements in the orbital plane and a direct view of any ultrarelativistic, highly collimated ejecta (a gamma-ray burst afterglow).
|
|
| 5. |
- Tanvir, N. R., et al.
(författare)
-
The Emergence of a Lanthanide-rich Kilonova Following the Merger of Two Neutron Stars
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 848:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the discovery and monitoring of the near-infrared counterpart (AT2017gfo) of a binary neutron-star merger event detected as a gravitational wave source by Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo (GW170817) and as a short gamma-ray burst by Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and Integral SPI-ACS (GRB 170817A). The evolution of the transient light is consistent with predictions for the behavior of a kilonova/ macronova powered by the radioactive decay of massive neutron-rich nuclides created via r-process nucleosynthesis in the neutron-star ejecta. In particular, evidence for this scenario is found from broad features seen in Hubble Space Telescope infrared spectroscopy, similar to those predicted for lanthanide-dominated ejecta, and the much slower evolution in the near-infrared K-s-band compared to the optical. This indicates that the late-time light is dominated by high-opacity lanthanide-rich ejecta, suggesting nucleosynthesis to the third r-process peak (atomic masses A approximate to 195). This discovery confirms that neutron-star mergers produce kilo-/macronovae and that they are at least a major-if not the dominant-site of rapid neutron capture nucleosynthesis in the universe.
|
|
| 6. |
- Selsing, J., et al.
(författare)
-
The X-shooter GRB afterglow legacy sample (XS-GRB)
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP SCIENCES S A. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 623
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this work we present spectra of all gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows that have been promptly observed with the X-shooter spectrograph until 31/03/2017. In total, we have obtained spectroscopic observations of 103 individual GRBs observed within 48 hours of the GRB trigger. Redshifts have been measured for 97 per cent of these, covering a redshift range from 0.059 to 7.84. Based on a set of observational selection criteria that minimise biases with regards to intrinsic properties of the GRBs, the follow-up effort has been focused on producing a homogeneously selected sample of 93 afterglow spectra for GRBs discovered by the Swift satellite. We here provide a public release of all the reduced spectra, including continuum estimates and telluric absorption corrections. For completeness, we also provide reductions for the 18 late-time observations of the underlying host galaxies. We provide an assessment of the degree of completeness with respect to the parent GRB population, in terms of the X-ray properties of the bursts in the sample and find that the sample presented here is representative of the full Swift sample. We have constrained the fraction of dark bursts to be <28 per cent and confirm previous results that higher optical darkness is correlated with increased X-ray absorption. For the 42 bursts for which it is possible, we have provided a measurement of the neutral hydrogen column density, increasing the total number of published HI column density measurements by similar to 33 per cent. This dataset provides a unique resource to study the ISM across cosmic time, from the local progenitor surroundings to the intervening Universe.
|
|
| 7. |
- Melandri, A., et al.
(författare)
-
GRB171010A/SN 2017htp : a GRB-SN at z=0.33
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 490:4, s. 5366-5374
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The number of supernovae known to be connected with long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is increasing and the link between these events is no longer exclusively found at low redshift (z less than or similar to 0.3) but is well established also at larger distances. We present a new case of such a liaison at z = 0.33 between GRB171010A and SN 2017htp. It is the second closest GRB with an associated supernova of only three events detected by Fermi-LAT. The supernova is one of the few higher redshift cases where spectroscopic observations were possible and shows spectral similarities with the well-studied SN 1998bw, having produced a similar Ni mass (M-Ni = 0.33 +/- 0.02 M-circle dot) with slightly lower ejected mass (M-ej = 4.1 +/- 0.7 M-circle dot) and kinetic energy (E-K = 8.1 +/- 2.5 x 10(51) erg). The host-galaxy is bigger in size than typical GRB host galaxies, but the analysis of the region hosting the GRB revealed spectral properties typically observed in GRB hosts and showed that the progenitor of this event was located in a very bright H II region of its face-on host galaxy, at a projected distance of similar to 10 kpc from its galactic centre. The star-formation rate (SFRGRB similar to 0.2 M-circle dot yr(-1)) and metallicity (12 + log(O/H) similar to 8.15 +/- 0.10) of the GRB star-forming region are consistent with those of the host galaxies of previously studied GRB-SN systems.
|
|
| 8. |
- Tartaglia, L., et al.
(författare)
-
The Early Detection and Follow-up of the Highly Obscured Type II Supernova 2016ija/DLT16am
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 853:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present our analysis of the Type II supernova DLT16am (SN 2016ija). The object was discovered during the ongoing D < 40 Mpc (DLT40) one-day cadence supernova search at r similar to 20.1 mag in the edge-on nearby (D = 20.0 +/- 4.0 Mpc) galaxy NGC 1532. The subsequent prompt and high-cadenced spectroscopic and photometric follow-up revealed a highly extinguished transient, with E(B - V) = 1.95 +/- 0.15 mag, consistent with a standard extinction law with R-V = 3.1 and a bright (M-V = -18.48 +/- 0.77 mag) absolute peak magnitude. A comparison of the photometric features with those of large samples of SNe II reveals a fast rise for the derived luminosity and a relatively short plateau phase, with a slope of S-50V = 0.84 +/- 0.04 mag/50 days, consistent with the photometric properties typical of those of fast-declining SNe II. Despite the large uncertainties on the distance and the extinction in the direction of DLT16am, the measured photospheric expansion velocity and the derived absolute V-band magnitude at similar to 50 days after the explosion match the existing luminosity-velocity relation for SNe II.
|
|
| 9. |
- Ghirlanda, G., et al.
(författare)
-
Compact radio emission indicates a structured jet was produced by a binary neutron star merger
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 363:6430, s. 968-971
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The binary neutron star merger event GW170817 was detected through both electromagnetic radiation and gravitational waves. Its afterglow emission may have been produced by either a narrow relativistic jet or an isotropic outflow. High-spatial-resolution measurements of the source size and displacement can discriminate between these scenarios. We present very-long-baseline interferometry observations, performed 207.4 days after the merger by using a global network of 32 radio telescopes. The apparent source size is constrained to be smaller than 2.5 milli-arc seconds at the 90% confidence level. This excludes the isotropic outflow scenario, which would have produced a larger apparent size, indicating that GW170817 produced a structured relativistic jet. Our rate calculations show that at least 10% of neutron star mergers produce such a jet.
|
|
| 10. |
- Melandri, A., et al.
(författare)
-
The high-redshift gamma-ray burst GRB 140515A A comprehensive X-ray and optical study
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 581
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-redshift eamma-ray bursts (GRBs) offer several advantages When studying the distant Universe, providing unique information about the structure and properties of the galaxies in which they exploded. Spectroscopic identification with large ground-based telescopes has improved our knowledge of this kind of distant events. We present the multi-wavelength analysis of the high-z S'wift GRB GRB 1.40515A (z = 6.327). The best estimate of the neutral hydrogen fraction of the intergalactic medium towards the burst is X-HI <= 0.002. The spectral absorption lines detected for this event are the weakest lines ever observed in GRB afterglows, suggesting that GRB 140515A exploded in a very low-density environment. Its circtun-burst medium is characterised by an average extinction (A(V) similar to 0.1) that seems to be typical of z >= 6 events. The observed multi-band light curves are explained either with a very hard injected spectrum (p = 1.7) or with a multi-component emission (p = 2.1). In the second case a long-lasting central engine activity is needed in order to explain the late time X-ray emission. The possible origin of GRB 140515A in a Pop III (or in a Pop II star with a local environment enriched by Pop III) massive star is unlikely.
|
|
