Search results for "AFTERGLOW"
showing 10 items of 62 documents
The exceptionally extended flaring activity in the X-ray afterglow of GRB 050730 observed with Swift and XMM-Newton
2007
We present the results of a detailed spectral and temporal analysis of Swift and XMM-Newton observations of the high redshift (z=3.969) GRB 050730. The X-ray afterglow of GRB 050730 was found to decline with time with superimposed intense flaring activity that extended over more than two orders of magnitude in time. Seven distinct re-brightening events starting from 236 s up to 41.2 ks after the burst were observed. The underlying decay of the afterglow was well described by a double broken power-law model with breaks at t_1= 237 +/- 20 s and t_2 = 10.1 (-2.2) (+4.6) ks. The temporal decay slopes before, between and after these breaks were alpha_1 = 2.1 +/- 0.3, alpha_2 = 0.44 (-0.08) (+0.1…
SIMULATIONS OF DYNAMICS AND EMISSION FROM MAGNETIZED GRB AFTERGLOWS
2010
The role of magnetic fields in the GRB flow is still controversial. The afterglow emission, particularly the early phases, may provide a probe into the magnetization of the outflow. Using ultrahigh resolution relativistic MHD simulations, the interaction between radially expanding magnetized ejecta with the interstellar medium is studied. We explore the effect of the magnetic field strength of the ejecta on the afterglow structure, particularly regarding the presence and strength of a reverse shock. We compute synthetic afterglow light curves to quantify the effect of the magnetization of the flow on observed radiation.
XMM-Newton and VLT observations of the afterglow of GRB040827
2005
The field of the Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 040827 was observed with XMM-Newton and with the ESO/VLT starting ~6 and ~12 hours after the burst, respectively. A fading X-ray afterglow is clearly detected with the XMM-Newton/EPIC instrument, with a time decay t^(-delta), with delta=1.41+/-0.10. Its spectrum is well described by a power law (photon index Gamma=2.3+/-0.1) affected by an absorption largely exceeding (by a factor ~5) the expected Galactic one, requiring the contribution of an intrinsic, redshifted absorber. In the optical/NIR range, the afterglow emission was observed in the Ks band, as a weak source superimposed to the host galaxy, with magnitude Ks=19.44+/-0.13 (12 hours after the GRB…
Quiescent X-ray emission from an evolved brown dwarf ?
2004
I report on the X-ray detection of Gl569Bab. During a 25ksec Chandra observation the binary brown dwarf is for the first time spatially separated in X-rays from the flare star primary Gl569A. Companionship to Gl569A constrains the age of the brown dwarf pair to ~300-800 Myr. The observation presented here is only the second X-ray detection of an evolved brown dwarf. About half of the observing time is dominated by a large flare on Gl569Bab, the remainder is characterized by weak and non-variable emission just above the detection limit. This emission -- if not related to the afterglow of the flare -- represents the first detection of a quiescent corona on a brown dwarf, representing an impor…
Different progenitors of short hard gamma-ray bursts
2007
We consider the spatial offsets of short hard gamma-ray bursts (SHBs) from their host galaxies. We show that all SHBs with extended duration soft emission components lie very close to their hosts. We suggest that NS-BH binary mergers offer a natural explanation for the properties of this extended duration/low offset group. SHBs with large offsets have no observed extended emission components and are less likely to have an optically detected afterglow, properties consistent with NS-NS binary mergers occurring in low density environments.
A tale of two GRB-SNe at a common redshift of z=0.54
2011
We present ground-based and HST optical observations of the optical transients (OTs) of long-duration Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) 060729 and 090618, both at a redshift of z = 0.54. For GRB 060729, bumps are seen in the optical light curves (LCs), and the late-time broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the OT resemble those of local type Ic supernovae (SNe). For GRB 090618, the dense sampling of our optical observations has allowed us to detect well-defined bumps in the optical LCs, as well as a change in colour, that are indicative of light coming from a core-collapse SN. The accompanying SNe for both events are individually compared with SN1998bw, a known GRB-supernova, and SN1994I…
GRB 061121: Broadband Spectral Evolution through the Prompt and Afterglow Phases of a Bright Burst
2007
Swift triggered on a precursor to the main burst of GRB 061121 (z=1.314), allowing observations to be made from the optical to gamma-ray bands. Many other telescopes, including Konus-Wind, XMM-Newton, ROTSE and the Faulkes Telescope North, also observed the burst. The gamma-ray, X-ray and UV/optical emission all showed a peak ~75s after the trigger, although the optical and X-ray afterglow components also appear early on - before, or during, the main peak. Spectral evolution was seen throughout the burst, with the prompt emission showing a clear positive correlation between brightness and hardness. The Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of the prompt emission, stretching from 1eV up to 1MeV…
Numerical models of blackbody-dominated gamma-ray bursts -- II. Emission properties
2014
Blackbody-dominated (BBD) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are events characterized by long durations and the presence of a significant thermal component following the prompt emission, as well as by the absence of a typical afterglow. GRB 101225A is the most prominent member of this class. A plausible progenitor system for it and for BBD-GRBs is the merger a neutron star and a helium core of an evolved, massive star. Using relativistic hydrodynamic simulations we model the propagation of ultrarelativistic jets through the environments created by such mergers. In a previous paper we showed that the thermal emission in BBD-GRBs is linked to the interaction of an ultrarelativistic jet with the ejected …
The radio afterglow of Swift J1644+57 reveals a powerful jet with fast core and slow sheath
2015
We model the non-thermal transient Swift J1644+57 as resulting from a relativistic jet powered by the accretion of a tidally-disrupted star onto a super-massive black hole. Accompanying synchrotron radio emission is produced by the shock interaction between the jet and the dense circumnuclear medium, similar to a gamma-ray burst afterglow. An open mystery, however, is the origin of the late-time radio rebrightening, which occurred well after the peak of the jetted X-ray emission. Here, we systematically explore several proposed explanations for this behavior by means of multi-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations coupled to a self-consistent radiative transfer calculation of the synchrotron …
BOOTES observation of GRB 080603B
2012
We report on multicolor photometry of long GRB080603B afterglow from BOOTES-1B and BOOTES-2. The optical afterglow has already been reported to present a break in the optical lightcurve at 0.12 ± 0.2 days after the trigger. We construct the lightcurve and the spectral energy distribution and discuss the nature of the afterglow.