| 1. |
- Iyyani, Shabnam, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Extremely narrow spectrum of GRB110920A : further evidence for localised, subphotospheric dissipation
- 2015
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In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 450:2, s. 1651-1663
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Much evidence points towards that the photosphere in the relativistic outflow in GRBs plays an important role in shaping the observed MeV spectrum. However, it is unclear whether the spectrum is fully produced by the photosphere or whether a substantial part of the spectrum is added by processes far above the photosphere. Here we make a detailed study of the $\gamma$−ray emission from single pulse GRB110920A which has a spectrum that becomes extremely narrow towards the end of the burst. We show that the emission can be interpreted as Comptonisation of thermal photons by cold electrons in an unmagnetised outflow at an optical depth of $\tau \sim 20$. The electrons receive their energy by a local dissipation occurring close to the saturation radius. The main spectral component of GRB110920A and its evolution is thus, in this interpretation, fully explained by the emission from the photosphere including localised dissipation at high optical depths.
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| 2. |
- Iyyani, Shabnam, 1988-
(author)
-
Photospheric emission in gamma ray bursts : Analysis and interpretation of observations made by the Fermi gamma ray space telescope
- 2015
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The large flashes of radiation that are observed in GRBs are generally believed to arise in a relativistic jetted outflow. This thesis addresses the question of how and where in the jet this radiation is produced. It further explores the jet properties that can be inferred from the observations made by the Fermi GST that regularly observes GRBs in the range 8 keV - 300 GeV. In my analysis I focus on the observational effects of the emission from the jet photosphere. I show that the photosphere has an important role in shaping the observed radiation spectrum and that its manifestations can significantly vary between bursts. For bursts in which the photospheric emission component can be identified, the dynamics of the flow can be explored by determining the jet Lorentz factor and the position of the jet nozzle. I also develop the theory of how to derive the properties of the outflow for general cases. The spectral analysis of the strong burst GRB110721A reveals a two-peaked spectrum, with the peaks evolving differently. I conclude that three main flow quantities can describe the observed spectral behaviour in bursts: the luminosity, the Lorentz factor, and the nozzle radius. While the photosphere can appear like a pure blackbody it can also be substantially broadened, due to dissipation of the jet energy below the photosphere. I show that Comptonisation of the blackbody can shape the observed spectra and describe its evolution. In particular this model can very well explain GRB110920A which has two prominent breaks in its spectra. Alternative models including synchrotron emission leads to severe physical constraints, such as the need for very high electron Lorentz factors, which are not expected in internal shocks. Even though different manifestations of the photospheric emission can explain the data, and lead to ambiguous interpretations, I argue that dissipation below the photosphere is the most important process in shaping the observed spectral shapes and evolutions.
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| 3. |
- Iyyani, Shabnam, et al.
(author)
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Synchrotron emission in GRBs observed with Fermi : Its limitations and the role of the photosphere
- 2015
-
In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 456:2, s. 2157-2171
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It has been suggested that the prompt emission in gamma-ray bursts consists of several components giving rise to the observed spectral shape. Here we examine a sample of the eight brightest, single pulsed Fermi bursts whose spectra are modelled by using synchrotron emission as one of the components. Five of these bursts require an additional photospheric component (blackbody). In particular, we investigate the inferred properties of the jet and the physical requirements set by the observed components for these five bursts, in the context of a baryonic dominated outflow, motivated by the strong photospheric component. We find similar jet properties for all five bursts: the bulk Lorentz factor decreases monotonously over the pulses and lies between 1000 and 100. This evolution is robust and can neither be explained by a varying radiative efficiency nor a varying magnetization of the jet (assuming the photosphere radius is above the coasting radius). Such a behaviour challenges several dissipation mechanisms, e.g. the internal shocks. Furthermore, in all eight cases the data clearly reject a fast-cooled synchrotron spectrum (in which a significant fraction of the emitting electrons have cooled to energies below the minimum injection energy), inferring a typical electron Lorentz factor of 104-107. Such values are much higher than what is typically expected in internal shocks. Therefore, while the synchrotron scenario is not rejected by the data, the interpretation does present several limitations that need to be addressed. Finally, we point out and discuss alternative interpretations.
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