BATSEγ射线暴和太阳硬X射线暴的强度和时间特征

本文研究了CGRO卫星上BATSE探测器对硬X天空监测过程中触发和记录到的1 0 0 0多个γ暴和 40 0 0多个太阳硬X射线暴的强度和时间性质 ,发现它们的强度分布相似 ,这也许意味着硬X射线天空中两种主要的爆发现象机制相似 ,同时对将γ暴的强度分布作为其宇宙学起源的证据提出了疑问 .对太阳暴的持续时间分析表明 ,其强度和持续时间呈正相关 ,而γ暴是弱负相关 .太阳暴的强度和持续时间在BATSE运行过程中有长时标变化 ,最近对γ暴的研究也发现了这种现象     

搭载在神州二号飞船留轨舱上的超软X射线探测器-观测结果简介

简要介绍搭载在神州二号飞船留轨舱上的超软X射线探测器的观测结果，它们涉及宇宙γ射线暴，太阳X射线暴，高能带电粒子和软X射线背景辐射，供分析、讨论和研究。     

新闻速递

天文学家们首次直接勘测了γ射线暴宿主星系中的分子气体和尘埃。完全出乎意料的是,观测到的气体少于预期,而尘埃则多得多。这会使得一些γ射线暴变成“暗γ射线暴”。     

Ⅰ型X射线暴和中子星周围物质的相互作用研究进展

Ⅰ型X射线暴是发生在中子星小质量X射线双星表面的不稳定核燃烧过程。Ⅰ型X射线暴的辐射可对中子星周围的物质产生显著影响。文章回顾了Ⅰ型X射线暴与中子星周围物质之间的相互作用的观测结果和理论解释,包括坡印亭-罗伯逊效应引起的吸积率增加、Ⅰ型X射线暴能谱中的吸收限特征、吸积盘反射、千赫兹准周期震荡信号的变化、冕冷却导致的硬X射线缺失等;此外,还介绍了NICER卫星相关观测的最新进展。     

γ射线暴X射线耀发的研究进展

γ射线暴是宇宙中恒星尺度的最剧烈爆发现象。γ射线暴瞬时辐射结束后,进入余辉辐射阶段。X射线耀发是γ射线暴X射线辐射衰减过程中出现的短时标闪耀现象。X射线耀发的脉冲轮廓具有不对称性,其上升时标小于下降时标。在部分γ射线暴中,X射线耀发的亮度达到瞬时辐射的亮度。X射线耀发的持续时间与峰值时间具有线性关系。X射线耀发的光谱比X射线余辉的光谱硬。早期X射线耀发与晚期X射线耀发相比,其脉冲轮廓较窄,光谱较硬。X射线耀发产生的物理过程类似于γ射线暴瞬时辐射的物理过程。在火球(fireball)模型中,内部壳层之间发生碰撞,产生的内激波加速电子,电子的同步辐射产生X射线耀发。当火球扫过星际介质,外激波加速电子时,电子的同步辐射也可产生X射线耀发。在光球(photospere)模型中,能量耗散发生在光学厚的区域,热辐射的光谱峰值落在X射线能段附近,γ射线暴的喷流在光球半径处会产生X射线耀发。如果射线暴喷流由坡印亭能流主导,喷流就会与星际介质相互作用,磁场的不稳定性使磁场发生耗散,产生的能量形成X射线耀发。γ射线暴的喷流具有几何效应。一部分同步辐射可能发生在喷流辐射面的高纬度处。由于曲率效应(curvature effect),各向异性辐射与各向同性辐射相比,X射线耀发的峰值出现较晚。此外,在γ射线暴发生后,黑洞会间歇性地吸积外部介质。在吸积过程中,黑洞周围的磁场会调节吸积的速率和喷流中的能量,这是出现多个X射线耀发的原因。     

1993年10月2日耀斑的Hα,微波和硬X射线暴的综合分析

本文介绍1993年10月2日发生的一个1N／C6.5级耀斑多波段观测的结果．综合比较了耀斑的单色象，Hα波段工维光谱，2840兆赫微波爆发和硬X射线爆发资料．得到Hα单色象上不同亮核的强度变化，与微波及硬X射线暴的时间轮廓比较，给出了色球耀斑区亮度场的演化，对照磁图确定了耀斑区的磁场位形，从而对该耀斑产生和加热提出了一种可能的解释．     

两类γ暴的谱形和光变曲线的统计差异

使用currentBATSE catakog中的一部分数据，定义了2个分别反映γ射线暴的能谱形和光变曲线的物理量FR和TR，同时对它们的分布作了统计分析，发现对于两类不同的γ射线暴，它们的分布存在统计上的较为明显的差异。这意味着两类暴可能产生于不同的辐射区域，两类暴的暴源可能有本质的差异，这些结果支持了把γ射线暴分为长暴和短暴的分类方法。     

BATSEγ射线暴和太阳硬X射线暴的强度和时间特征

本研究了ＣＧＲＯ卫星上ＢＡＴＳＥ探测器对硬Ｘ天空监测过程中触发和记录到的１０００多个γ暴和４０００多个太阳硬Ｘ射线暴的强度和时间性质，发现它们的强度分布相似，这也许意味着硬Ｘ射线天空中两种主要的爆发现象机制相似，同时对将γ暴的强度分布作为其宇宙学起源的证据提出了疑问。     

γ射线暴的时变分析

γ射线暴是天空中突然的硬X射线/γ射线爆发现象,有着非常复杂的光变曲线。由于光变现象和辐射过程直接相关,因此,研究γ射线暴的时变规律是非常重要的。对γ射线暴的一些时变现象以及通过时变研究得出的分类、脉冲形状、功率谱、时间演化、光度等性质进行了总结,并对一些结果进行了讨论。     

磁星能量注入模型拟合伽玛射线暴X射线余辉光变曲线

某些伽玛射线暴(简称伽玛暴)的中心致密天体可能是一颗具有强磁场的毫秒脉冲星,它通过磁偶极辐射可对伽玛暴外激波注入能量,从而导致早期余辉光变曲线的变平.近年来,从Swift卫星观测到的大量伽玛暴X射线余辉中发现,很多X射线余辉光变曲线在暴后10~2～10~4s期间的确存在明显的变平现象.利用周期为毫秒量级的磁星能量注入模型对11个加玛暴的X射线余辉光变曲线进行了拟合,显示该模型在解释余辉变平现象上的有效性和广泛性,通过对余辉光变曲线的拟合,同时也给出了相关中心磁星的磁场强度和旋转周期.     

The Early X-ray Afterglows of Optically Bright and Dark Gamma-Ray Bursts

A systematic study on the early X-ray afterglows of both optically bright and dark gamma-ray bursts (B-GRBs and D-GRBs) observed by Swift is presented. Our sample includes 25 GRBs of which 13 are B-GRBs and 12 are D-GRBs. Our results show that the distributions of the X-ray afterglow fluxes (Fx), the gamma-ray fluxes (5r), and the ratio (Rr,x.) are similar for the two kinds of GRBs, that any observed differences should be simply statistical fluctuation. These results indicate that the progenitors of the two kinds of GRBs are of the same population with comparable total energies of explosion. The suppression of optical emission in the D-GRBs should result from circumburst but not from their central engine.     

伽玛暴及其早期X射线余辉的观测特征

Swift卫星的X射线望远镜观测揭示部分伽玛暴的早期余辉光变曲线有一个缓慢衰减的成分,而相当一部分却没有这样的成分.研究比较这两种暴的观测性质发现两类暴的持续时间、伽玛辐射总流量、谱指数、谱硬度比峰值能量等物理量均没有显著差异.然而有该成分的那些伽玛暴谱比较软、早期X射线余辉比较弱、伽玛射线辐射效率显著高于没有这个成分的那些暴.结果表明两类暴的前身星和中心机制一致,是否呈现这个缓慢衰减成分可能取决于外部介质.     

The Spin-X wide-field X-ray monitor of the Spectrum-X-Gamma astrophysical observatory

The Spin-X wide-field X-ray monitor of the Spectrum-X-Gamma astrophysical observatory, which is based on the principle of a coded-aperture telescope, is designed to detect and localize cosmic gammaray-burst (GRB) sources; to survey large areas of the sky in search of new transients; and to carry out long-term observations of bright Galactic sources, including X-ray bursters. The monitor consists of two noncoaxial identical modules, Spin-X1 and Spin-X2, which together cover 6.8% of the sky. The high-apogee, four-day orbit of the Spectrum-XG satellite allows the instrument to be in observing mode more than 50% of the time. Having simulated the rate of GRB detection by Spin-X, we show that extrapolating BATSE 50–300-keV average data on the number of GRBs, their duration, and their mean energy spectrum to the X-ray energy band leads to disagreement with the observed detection rate of GRBs in the X-ray band. The number of GRBs that can be detected and localized with an accuracy r≤3′ (3σ) (the error-circle radius) by Spin-X is estimated to be ten bursts per year. We present data on the Spin-X sensitivity achievable during long-term observations of persistent and transient sources and on its sensitivity to X-ray bursts from Galactic sources in the 2–30-keV energy band.     

Analysis of the spatial distribution of gamma-ray bursts in their host galaxies

We compare the radial distributions of known localized gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) relative to the centers of their host galaxies with the distributions of known objects in nearby galaxies (supernovae of various types, X-ray binaries), the hypothetical dark-matter profiles, and the distribution of luminous matter in galaxies in the model of an exponential disk. By comparing the moments of empirical distributions, we show that the radial distribution of GRBs in galaxies differs significantly from that of other sources. We suggest a new statistical method for comparing empirical samples that is based on estimating the number of objects within a given radius. The exponential disk profile was found to be in best agreement with the radial distribution of GRBs. The distribution of GRBs relative to the centers of their host galaxies also agrees with the dark matter profile at certain model parameters.     

Gamma-ray bursts as dark energy–matter probes in the context of the generalized Chaplygin gas model

In this paper we consider the use of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) as distance markers to study the unification of dark energy and dark matter in the context of the so-called generalized Chaplygin gas (GCG) model. We consider that the GRB luminosity may be estimated from its variability and time-lag, and we also use the so-called Ghirlanda relation. We evaluate the improvements expected once more GRBs and their redshift become available. We show that although GRBs allow for extending the Hubble diagram to higher redshifts, its use as a dark energy probe is limited when compared to Type Ia supernovae. We find that the information from GRBs can provide some bounds on the amount of dark matter and dark energy independently of the equation of state. This is particularly evident for XCDM-type models, which are, for low redshifts  ( z ≤ 2)  , degenerate with the GCG.     

Time-resolved spectral analysis of prompt emission from long gamma-ray bursts with GeV emission

We performed detailed time-resolved spectroscopy of bright long gammaray bursts(GRBs)which show significant GeV emissions(GRB 080916C,GRB090902B and GRB 090926A).In addition to the standard Band model,we also use a model consisting of a black body and a power law to fit the spectra.We find that for the latter model there are indications of an additional soft component in the spectra.While previous studies have shown that such models are required for GRB 090902B,here we find that a composite spectral model consisting of two blackbodies and a power law adequately fits the data of all the three bright GRBs.We investigate the evolution of the spectral parameters and find several interesting features that appear in all three GRBs,like(a)temperatures of the blackbodies are strongly correlated with each other,(b)fluxes in the black body components are strongly correlated with each other,(c)the temperatures of the black body trace the profile of the individual pulses of the GRBs,and(d)the characteristics of power law components like the spectral index and the delayed onset bear a close similarity to the emission characteristics in the GeV regions.We discuss the implications of these results and the possibility of identifying the radiation mechanisms during the prompt emission of GRBs.     

The X-ray transient 080109 in NGC 2770: an X-ray flash associated with a normal core-collapse supernova

Although it is generally thought that long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) are associated with core-collapse supernovae (SNe), so far only four pairs of GRBs and SNe with firmly established connection have been found. All the four GRB-SNe belong to special class of Type Ic – called the broad-lined SNe indicative of a large explosion energy, suggesting that only a small fraction of SNe Ibc have GRBs associated with them. This scheme has been refreshed by the discovery of a bright X-ray transient in NGC 2770 on 2008 January 9, which was followed by a rather normal Type Ib SN 2008D. In this paper, I argue that the transient 080109 is an X-ray flash (XRF, the soft version of a GRB) because of the following evidence. (1) The transient cannot be interpreted as a SN shock breakout event. (2) The GRB X-ray flare interpretation is not supported by the high-energy observation. I then show that XRF 080109 satisfies the well-known relation between the isotropic-equivalent energy and the peak spectral energy for LGRBs, which highly strengthens the XRF interpretation. Finally, I point out that the peak spectral energy of XRF 080109 and the maximum bolometric luminosity of SN 2008D agree with the   E _γ,peak– L _SN,max  relationship of Li, strengthening the validity of the relationship. I speculate that events like XRF 080109 may occur at a rate comparable to SNe Ibc, and a soft X-ray telescope devoted to surveying for nearby X-ray flares will be very fruitful in discovering them.     

Observational Characteristics of γ-ray Bursts and Their Early X-ray Afterglows

Data obtained by the on-board X-ray telescope of the Swift satellite show that a shallow decay component is present in the light curve of the early X-ray afterglows of some γ-ray bursts (GRBs), but not in others. The physical mechanism of this component is debatable. We have made a comparative study on the observational characteristics of the two kinds of GRBs for a sample of 29 GRBs. Our results demonstrate that the two kinds of GRBs have no significant difference in the burst duration, γ-ray flux, spectral index, hardness ratio and peak energy. However, a significant difference exists in the early X-ray afterglows of the bursts: the bursts with a shallow decay component tend to have a softer and fainter X-ray afterglow than those without a shallow decay component. The efficiency of the γ-ray radiation is also very different for the two kinds of bursts: it is obviously higher for the bursts with a shallow decay component than those without. These results seem to suggest that the progenitors and central engines of the two kinds of GRBs are similar, and that the appearance of the shallow decay component is probably due to the surrounding medium.     

X-ray bright points and He i λ 10830 dark points

Using near-simultaneous full disk solar X-ray images and Hei 10830 spectroheliograms from three rocket flights, we compare dark points identified on the Hei maps with X-ray bright points identified on the X-ray images. We find that for the largest and most obvious features there is a strong correlation: most Hei dark points correspond to X-ray bright points. However, about two-thirds of the X-ray bright points were not identified on the basis of the helium data alone. Once an X-ray feature is identified it is almost always possible to find an underlying dark patch of enhanced Hei absorption which, however, would not a priori have been selected as a dark point. Therefore, the Hei dark points, using current selection criteria, cannot be used as a one-to-one proxy for the X-ray data. Hei dark points do, however, identify the locations of the stronger X-ray bright points.Visitor, National Solar Observatory. National Optical Astronomy Observatories operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Average temporal signatures of GRBs: applications to theoretical models

New statistical results for cosmic gamma-ray bursts are presented, based on aligned average time profiles. General signatures are discussed of averaged flux/spectrum evolution of the full set of the Second BATSE Catalog GRBs (Fishmanet al., 1995), as well as of the bright and dim subsets. The contradictory conclusions made by Norriset al., (1994) and Mitrofanovet al., (1995a) about the presence or the absence of the time-dilation of dim GRBs are discussed. The well-established effect of hardness/brightness correlation of GRBs is presented. The consequences of these statistical studies are discussed for the cosmological and galactic paradigms of GRBs sources.