scholarly journals What determines the structure of short gamma-ray burst jets?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Urrutia ◽  
Fabio De Colle ◽  
Ariadna Murguia-Berthier ◽  
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Initial Structure ◽  
Gamma Ray Burst ◽  
Final Structure ◽  
Central Engine ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Reasonable Description ◽  
Jet Structure ◽  
Short Grbs

Abstract The discovery of GRB 170817A, the first unambiguous off-axis short gamma-ray burst arising from a neutron star merger, has challenged our understanding of the angular structure of relativistic jets. Studies of the jet propagation usually assume that the jet is ejected from the central engine with a top-hat structure and its final structure, which determines the observed light curve and spectra, is primarily regulated by the interaction with the nearby environment. However, jets are expected to be produced with a structure that is more complex than a simple top-hat, as shown by global accretion simulations. We present numerical simulations of short GRBs launched with a wide range of initial structures, durations and luminosities. We follow the jet interaction with the merger remnant wind and compute its final structure at distances ≳ 1011 cm from the central engine. We show that the final jet structure, as well as the resulting afterglow emission, depend strongly on the initial structure of the jet, its luminosity and duration. While the initial structure at the jet is preserved for long-lasting SGRBs, it is strongly modified for jets barely making their way through the wind. This illustrates the importance of combining the results of global simulations with propagation studies in order to better predict the expected afterglow signatures from neutron star mergers. Structured jets provide a reasonable description of the GRB 170817A afterglow emission with an off-axis angle θobs ≈ 22.5○.

scholarly journals The Rate of Short-Duration Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Local Universe

Galaxies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soheb Mandhai ◽  
Nial Tanvir ◽  
Gavin Lamb ◽  
Andrew Levan ◽  
David Tsang
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Short Duration ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Gamma Ray Burst ◽  
Binary Neutron Star ◽  
Upper Limit ◽  
Transient Source ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Short Grbs

Following the faint gamma-ray burst, GRB 170817A, coincident with a gravitational wave-detected binary neutron star merger at d ∼ 40 Mpc, we consider the constraints on a local population of faint short duration GRBs (defined here broadly as T 90 < 4 s). We review proposed low-redshift short-GRBs and consider statistical limits on a d ≲ 200 Mpc population using Swift/Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), Fermi/Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM), and Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) GRBs. Swift/BAT short-GRBs give an upper limit for the all-sky rate of < 4 y − 1 at d < 200 Mpc, corresponding to < 5% of SGRBs. Cross-correlation of selected CGRO/BATSE and Fermi/GBM GRBs with d < 100 Mpc galaxy positions returns a weaker constraint of ≲ 12 y − 1 . A separate search for correlations due to SGR giant flares in nearby ( d < 11 Mpc) galaxies finds an upper limit of < 3 y − 1 . Our analysis suggests that GRB 170817A-like events are likely to be rare in existing SGRB catalogues. The best candidate for an analogue remains GRB 050906, where the Swift/BAT location was consistent with the galaxy IC 0327 at d ≈ 132 Mpc. If binary neutron star merger rates are at the high end of current estimates, then our results imply that at most a few percent will be accompanied by detectable gamma-ray flashes in the forthcoming LIGO/Virgo science runs.

scholarly journals Can we constrain the aftermath of binary neutron star mergers with short gamma-ray bursts?

2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (1) ◽  
pp. L96-L100
Author(s):  
B Patricelli ◽  
M G Bernardini
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Gamma Ray Bursts ◽  
Binary Neutron Star ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Central Engine ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Merger Rate ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Jet Structure

ABSTRACT The joint observation of GW170817 and GRB170817A proved that binary neutron star (BNS) mergers are progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs): this established a direct link between the still unsettled SGRB central engine and the outcome of BNS mergers, whose nature depends on the equation of state (EOS) and on the masses of the NSs. We propose a novel method to probe the central engine of SGRBs based on this link. We produce an extended catalogue of BNS mergers by combining recent theoretically predicted BNS merger rate as a function of redshift and the NS mass distribution inferred from measurements of Galactic BNSs. We use this catalogue to predict the number of BNS systems ending as magnetars (stable or supramassive NS) or BHs (formed promptly or after the collapse of a hypermassive NS) for different EOSs, and we compare these outcomes with the observed rate of SGRBs. Despite the uncertainties mainly related to the poor knowledge of the SGRB jet structure, we find that for most EOSs the rate of magnetars produced after BNS mergers is sufficient to power all the SGRBs, while scenarios with only BHs as possible central engine seem to be disfavoured.

scholarly journals Evidence of X-Ray Plateaus Driven by the Magnetar Spindown Winds in Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows

2021 ◽  
Vol 922 (2) ◽  
pp. 102
Author(s):  
Shu-Jin Hou ◽  
Shuang Du ◽  
Tong Liu ◽  
Hui-Jun Mu ◽  
Ren-Xin Xu
Keyword(s):  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Normal Component ◽  
Gamma Ray Bursts ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Decay Phase ◽  
Gamma Ray Burst ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Central Engine

Abstract The central engine of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) remains an open and cutting-edge topic in the era of multimessenger astrophysics. X-ray plateaus appear in some GRB afterglows, which are widely considered to originate from the spindown of magnetars. According to the stable magnetar scenario of GRBs, an X-ray plateau and a decay phase ∼t −2 should appear in X-ray afterglows. Meanwhile, the “normal” X-ray afterglow is produced by the external shock from a GRB fireball. We analyze the Neil Gehrels Swift GRB data, then find three gold samples that have an X-ray plateau and a decay phase ∼t −2 superimposed on the jet-driven normal component. Based on these features of the lightcurves, we argue that the magnetars should be the central engines of these three GRBs. Future joint multimessenger observations might further test this possibility, which can then be beneficial to constrain GRB physics.

scholarly journals A comparison between short GRB afterglows and kilonova AT2017gfo: shedding light on kilonovae properties

2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (3) ◽  
pp. 3379-3397 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Rossi ◽  
G Stratta ◽  
E Maiorano ◽  
D Spighi ◽  
N Masetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gravitational Wave ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Light Curves ◽  
Optical Counterpart ◽  
Wave Source ◽  
Gamma Ray Burst ◽  
Nir Light ◽  
First Time ◽  
Short Grbs

ABSTRACT Multimessenger astronomy received a great boost following the discovery of kilonova (KN) AT2017gfo, the optical counterpart of the gravitational wave source GW170817 associated with the short gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A. AT2017gfo was the first KN that could be extensively monitored in time using both photometry and spectroscopy. Previously, only few candidates have been observed against the glare of short GRB afterglows. In this work, we aim to search the fingerprints of AT2017gfo-like KN emissions in the optical/NIR light curves of 39 short GRBs with known redshift. For the first time, our results allow us to study separately the range of luminosity of the blue and red components of AT2017gfo-like kilonovae in short GRBs. In particular, the red component is similar in luminosity to AT2017gfo, while the blue KN can be more than 10 times brighter. Finally, we exclude a KN as luminous as AT2017gfo in GRBs 050509B and 061201.

scholarly journals Gamma-Ray Burst Observations with BATSE

1998 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 159-162
Author(s):  
Gerald J. Fishman
Keyword(s):  
Gamma Rays ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Gamma Ray Bursts ◽  
Gamma Ray Burst ◽  
New Era ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Time Profiles ◽  
Random Direction ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
New Phenomena

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) will be recorded as one of the outstanding new phenomena discovered in astronomy this century. About once per day, a burst of gamma rays appears from a random direction on the sky. Often, the burst outshines all other sources of gamma-rays in the sky, combined. This paper reviews some of the key observed phenomenon of bursts in the hard x-ray/gamma-ray region, as observed with the BATSE experiment on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. The observed time profiles, spectral properties and durations of gamma-ray bursts cover a wide range. Recent breakthroughs in the observation of gamma-ray burst counterparts and afterglows in other wavelength regions have marked the beginning of a new era in gamma-ray burst research. Those observations are described in following papers in these proceedings.

Rapid optical variability of the gamma-ray burst grb 080319b and its central engine

2010 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-229
Author(s):  
G. Beskin ◽  
S. Karpov ◽  
S. Bondar ◽  
A. Guarnieri ◽  
C. Bartolini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Optical Variability ◽  
Gamma Ray Burst ◽  
Central Engine
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document