Early multi-wavelength emission from gamma-ray bursts: from gamma-ray to x-ray
TLDR
The early high-energy emission from both long and short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has been revolutionized by the Swift mission as discussed by the authors, which showed that the non-thermal x-ray emission transitions smoothly from the prompt phase into a decaying phase regardless of the details of the light curve.Abstract:
The study of the early high-energy emission from both long and short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has been revolutionized by the Swift mission. The rapid response ofSwiftshows that the non-thermal x-ray emission transitions smoothly from the prompt phase into a decaying phase whatever the details of the light curve. The decay is often categorized by a steep-to-shallow transition suggesting that the prompt emission and the afterglow are two distinct emission components.InthoseGRBswithaninitiallysteeplydecayingx-raylightcurve,we are probably seeing off-axis emission due to termination of intense central engine activity. This phase is usually followed, within the first hour, by a shallow decay, giving the appearance of a late-emission hump. The late-emission hump can last for up to a day, and hence, although faint, is energetically very significant. The energy emitted during the late-emission hump is very likely due to the forward shock being constantly refreshed by either late central engine activity or less relativistic material emitted during the prompt phase. In other GRBs, the early x-ray emission decays gradually following the prompt emission with no evidence for early temporal breaks, and in these bursts the emission may be dominated by classical afterglow emission from the external shock as the relativistic jet is slowed by interaction with the surrounding circum-burst medium. At least half of the GRBs observed by Swift also show erratic x-ray flaring behaviour, usually within the first few hours. The properties of the x-ray flares suggest that they are due to central engine activity. Overall, the observed wide variety of early high-energy phenomena pose a major challenge to GRB models.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Swift Era
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review the rapid observational and theoretical progress in this dynamical research field during the first two-year of the Swift mission, focusing on how observational breakthroughs have revolutionized our understanding of the physical origins of GRBs.
Journal ArticleDOI
A Comprehensive Analysis of Swift XRT Data. II. Diverse Physical Origins of the Shallow Decay Segment
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the properties of the shallow decay segment in Swift XRT light curves and concluded that the observed shallow decay phase likely has diverse physical origins, likely a refreshed external shock.
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The unusual X-ray emission of the short Swift GRB 090515: Evidence for the formation of a magnetar?
Antonia Rowlinson,P. T. O'Brien,Nial R. Tanvir,Bing Zhang,Phil Evans,N. Lyons,Andrew J. Levan,Richard Willingale,K. L. Page,O. Onal,David N. Burrows,A. P. Beardmore,T. N. Ukwatta,T. N. Ukwatta,Edo Berger,Jens Hjorth,A. S. Fruchter,R. L. Tunnicliffe,Derek B. Fox,Antonino Cucchiara +19 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the Swift observations of GRB 090515 and compare it to other gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the Swift sample, and suggest it might be energy injection from an unstable millisecond pulsar contributing to their emission.
Journal ArticleDOI
A Comprehensive Analysis of Swift XRT Data. III. Jet Break Candidates in X-Ray and Optical Afterglow Light Curves
E. W. Liang,E. W. Liang,Judith Racusin,Bing Zhang,Bin-Bin Zhang,Bin-Bin Zhang,David N. Burrows +6 more
TL;DR: In this article, the optical afterglow data for 57 pre- and post-Swift GRBs were analyzed to explore whether the observed breaks in the afterglog light curves can be interpreted as jet breaks, as well as their implications for jet energetics.
Journal ArticleDOI
PHASE TRANSITIONS AND He-SYNTHESIS-DRIVEN WINDS IN NEUTRINO COOLED ACCRETION DISKS: PROSPECTS FOR LATE FLARES IN SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURSTS
TL;DR: In this article, the authors consider the long-term evolution of debris following the tidal disruption of compact stars in the context of short gamma ray bursts and find that powerful winds are launched from the surface of the disk, driven by the recombination of free nucleons into α-particles.
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