The possible high-energy emission from GRB 080319B and origins of the GeV emission of GRBs 080514B, 080916C and 081024B

We calculate the high-energy (sub-GeV to TeV) prompt and afterglow emission of GRB 080319B that was distinguished by a naked-eye optical flash and by an unusual strong early X-ray afterglow. There are three possible sources for high-energy emission: the prompt optical and γ-ray photons IC scattered by the accelerated electrons, the prompt photons IC scattered by the early external reverse-forward shock electrons, and the higher band of the synchrotron and the synchrotron self-Compton emission of the external shock. There should have been in total hundreds of high-energy photons detectable for the Large Area Telescope onboard the Fermi satellite, and tens of photons of those with energy >10 GeV. The >10 GeV emission had a duration about twice that of the soft γ-rays. Astro-rivelatore Gamma a Immagini Leggero (AGILE) could have observed these energetic signals if it was not occulted by the Earth at that moment. The physical origins of the high-energy emission detected in GRB 080514B, GRB 080916C and GRB 081024B are also discussed. These observations seem to be consistent with the current high-energy emission models.     

Prompt optical emission and synchrotron self-absorption constraints on emission site of GRBs

We constrain the distance of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) prompt emission site from the explosion centre R , by determining the location of the electron's self-absorption frequency in the GRB prompt optical-to-X/γ-ray spectral energy distribution, assuming that the optical and the γ-ray emissions are among the same synchrotron radiation continuum of a group of hot electrons. All possible spectral regimes are considered in our analysis. The method has only two assumed parameters, namely the bulk Lorentz factor of the emitting source Γ and the magnetic field strength B in the emission region (with a weak dependence). We identify a small sample of four bursts that satisfy the following three criteria: (1) they all have simultaneous optical and γ-ray detections in multiple observational time intervals, (2) they all show temporal correlations between the optical and γ-ray light curves and (3) the optical emission is consistent with belonging to the same spectral component as the γ-ray emission. For all the time intervals of these four bursts, it is inferred that   R ≥ 10¹⁴  (Γ/300)^3/4 ( B /10⁵ G)^1/4  cm. For a small fraction of the sample, the constraint can be pinned down to   R ≈ 10¹⁴–10¹⁵ cm  for  Γ∼ 300  . For a second sample of bursts with prompt optical non-detections, only upper limits on R can be obtained. We find no inconsistency between the R -constraints for this non-detection sample and those for the detection sample.     

The Prompt Ultraviolet/Soft X-ray Emission of GRBs

We discuss the prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), allowing for γγ pair production and synchrotron self-absorption. The observed hard spectra suggest heavy pair-loading in GRBs. The re-emission of the generated pairs results in the energy transmission from high-energy gamma-rays to long-wavelength radiation. Due to strong self-absorption, the synchrotron radiation by pairs is in optically thick regime. Thus, the re-emission would appear as a thermal-like spectral bump in the extreme-ultraviolet/soft X-ray band, other than the peak from the main burst. The confirmation of the thermal-like feature and the double-peak structure by future satellites, such as Swift, would indicate that the dominant radiation mechanism in GRBs is synchrotron rather than inverse-Compton radiation.     

A unified treatment of the gamma-ray burst 021211 and its afterglow

The gamma-ray burst (GRB) 021211 had a simple light curve, containing only one peak and the expected Poisson fluctuations. Such a burst may be attributed to an external shock, offering the best chance for a unified understanding of the gamma-ray burst and afterglow emissions. We analyse the properties of the prompt (burst) and delayed (afterglow) emissions of GRB 021211 within the fireball model. Consistency between the optical emission during the first 11 min (which, presumably, comes from the reverse shock heating of the ejecta) and the later afterglow emission (arising from the forward shock) requires that, at the onset of deceleration (∼2 s), the energy density in the magnetic field in the ejecta, expressed as a fraction of the equipartition value  (ɛ _B )  , is larger than in the forward shock at 11 min by a factor of approximately 10³. We find that synchrotron radiation from the forward shock can account for the gamma-ray emission of GRB 021211; to explain the observed GRB peak flux requires that, at 2 s,  ɛ _B   in the forward shock is larger by a factor 100 than at 11 min. These results suggest that the magnetic field in the reverse shock and early forward shock is a frozen-in field originating in the explosion and that most of the energy in the explosion was initially stored in the magnetic field. We can rule out the possibility that the ejecta from the burst for GRB 021211 contained more than 10 electron–positron pairs per proton.     

Can the early X-ray afterglow of gamma-ray bursts be explained by a contribution from the reverse shock?

We propose to explain the recent observations of gamma-ray burst early X-ray afterglows with SWIFT by the dissipation of energy in the reverse shock that crosses the ejecta as it is decelerated by the burst environment. We compute the evolution of the dissipated power and discuss the possibility that a fraction of it can be radiated in the X-ray range. We show that this reverse shock contribution behaves in a way very similar to the observed X-ray afterglows if the following two conditions are satisfied. (i) The Lorentz factor of the material which is ejected during the late stages of source activity decreases to small values  Γ < 10  and (ii) a large part of the shock-dissipated energy is transferred to a small fraction  (ζ≲ 10⁻²)  of the electron population. We also discuss how our results may help to solve some puzzling problems raised by multiwavelength early afterglow observations such as the presence of chromatic breaks.     

Reverse shock emission as a probe of gamma-ray burst ejecta

We calculate the reverse shock (RS) synchrotron emission in the optical and the radio wavelength bands from electron–positron pair-enriched gamma-ray burst ejecta with the goal of determining the pair content of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) using early-time observations. We take into account an extensive number of physical effects that influence radiation from the RS-heated GRB ejecta. We find that optical/infrared flux depends very weakly on the number of pairs in the ejecta, and there is no unique signature of ejecta pair enrichment if observations are confined to a single wavelength band. It may be possible to determine if the number of pairs per proton in the ejecta is ≳100 by using observations in optical and radio bands; the ratio of flux in the optical and radio at the peak of each respective RS light curve is dependent on the number of pairs per proton. We also find that over a large parameter space, RS emission is expected to be very weak; GRB 990123 seems to have been an exceptional burst in that only a very small fraction of the parameter space produces optical flashes this bright. Also, it is often the case that the optical flux from the forward shock is brighter than the RS flux at deceleration. This could be another possible reason for the paucity of prompt optical flashes with a rapidly declining light curve at early times as was seen in GRBs 990123 and 021211. Some of these results are a generalization of similar results reported in Nakar & Piran.     

Polarization evolution accompanying the very early sharp decline of gamma-ray burst X-ray afterglows

In the synchrotron radiation model, the polarization property depends on both the configuration of the magnetic field and the geometry of the visible emitting region. Some peculiar behaviours in the X-ray afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed with Swift , such as energetic flares and a plateau followed by a sharp drop, might be highly linearly polarized because the outflows powering these behaviours may be dominated by Poynting flux. The breakdown of the symmetry of the visible emitting region may also be well hidden in the peculiar X-ray data and may give rise to interesting polarization signatures. In this paper, we focus on the polarization accompanying the very early sharp decline of GRB X-ray afterglows. We show that strong polarization evolution is possible in both the high latitude emission model and the dying central engine model, which are used to interpret this sharp X-ray decline. It is thus not easy to efficiently probe the physical origin of the very early X-ray sharp decline with future polarimetry. Strong polarization evolution is also possible in the decline phase of X-ray flares and in the shallow decline phase of X-ray light curves characterized by chromatic X-ray versus optical breaks. A detector such as the X-ray Telescope (XRT), but with polarization capability, on board a satellite like Swift would be suitable for testing our predictions.     

X-ray flares, plateaus and chromatic breaks of GRB afterglows from up-scattered forward-shock emission

Scattering of the forward-shock synchrotron emission by a relativistic outflow located behind the leading blast wave may produce an X-ray emission brighter than that coming directly from the forward shock and may explain four features displayed by Swift X-ray afterglows: flares, plateaus (slow decays), chromatic light-curve breaks and fast post-plateau decays. For a cold scattering outflow, the reflected flux overshines the primary one if the scattering outflow is nearly baryon-free and highly relativistic. These two requirements can be relaxed if the scattering outflow is energized by weak internal shocks, so that the incident forward-shock photons are also inverse-Compton scattered, in addition to bulk scattering. Sweeping-up of the photons left behind by the forward shock naturally yields short X-ray flares. Owing to the boost in photon energy produced by bulk scattering, the reflected emission is more likely to overshine that coming directly from the forward shock at higher photon energies, yielding light-curve plateaus and breaks that appear only in the X-ray. The brightness, shape and decay of the X-ray light-curve plateau depend on the radial distribution of the scatterer's Lorentz factor and mass flux. Chromatic X-ray light-curve breaks and sharp post-plateau decays cannot be accommodated by the direct forward-shock emission and argue in favour of the scattering-outflow model proposed here. On the other hand, the X-ray afterglows without plateaus, those with achromatic breaks and those with very long lived power-law decays are more naturally accommodated by the standard forward-shock model. Thus, the diversity of X-ray light curves arises from the interplay of the scattered and direct forward-shock emissions.     

Precursor activity in bright, long BATSE gamma-ray bursts

We study a sample of bright, long Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) gamma-ray burst (GRB) light curves in the 200 s before the detection of the GRB prompt emission. We find that in a sizable fraction of cases (∼20 per cent) there is evidence of emission above the background coming from the same direction as the GRB. This emission is characterized by a softer spectrum with respect to the main spectrum and contains a small fraction (0.1–1 per cent) of the total event counts. The precursors have typical delays of several tens of seconds extending (in few cases) up to 200 s (the limit of the investigated period). Their spectra are typically non-thermal power-law spectra, aside from a few cases. Such long delays and the non-thermal origin of their spectra are hard to reconcile with any model for the progenitor.     

Jet breaks in the X-ray light-curves of Swift gamma-ray burst afterglows

In the set of 236 gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows observed by Swift between 2005 January and 2007 March, we identify 30 X-ray light-curves that have power-law fall-offs that exhibit a steepening ('break') at 0.1–10 d after they are triggered, to a decay steeper than t ^−1.5. For most of these afterglows, the X-ray spectral slope and the decay indices before and after the break can be accommodated by the standard jet model although a different origin of the breaks cannot be ruled out. In addition, there are 27 other afterglows which have X-ray light-curves that may also exhibit a late break to a steep decay, but the evidence is not that compelling. The X-ray emissions of 38 afterglows decay slower than t ^−1.5 until after 3 d, half of them exhibiting such a slow decay until after 10 d. Therefore, the fraction of well-monitored Swift afterglows with potential jet breaks is around 60 per cent, whether we count only the strongest cases for each type or all of them. This fraction is comparable to the 75 per cent of pre-Swift afterglows which have optical light-curves that displayed similar breaks at ∼1 d. The peak energy of the GRB spectrum of Swift afterglows with light-curve breaks shows the same correlations with the burst isotropic output (Amati relation) and with the burst collimated output (Ghirlanda relation) as previously found for pre- Swift optical afterglows with light-curve breaks. However, we find that the Ghirlanda relation is largely a consequence of Amati's and that the use of the jet-break time leads to a stronger Ghirlanda correlation only when the few objects that do not satisfy the Amati relation are included.     

Testing the blast wave model with Swift GRBs

The complex structure of the light curves of Swift Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) has made the identification of breaks, and the interpretation of the blast wave caused by the burst, more difficult than in the pre- Swift era. We aim to identify breaks, which are possibly hidden, and to constrain the blast wave parameters; electron energy distribution, p , density profile of the circumburst medium, k , and the continued energy injection index, q . We do so by comparing the observed multiwavelength light curves and X-ray spectra of our sample to the predictions of the blast wave model. We can successfully interpret all of the bursts in our sample of 10, except two, within this framework and we can estimate, with confidence, the electron energy distribution index for 6 of the sample. Furthermore, we identify jet breaks in a number of the bursts. A statistical analysis of the distribution of p reveals that, even in the most conservative case of least scatter, the values are not consistent with a single, universal value. The values of k suggest that the circumburst density profiles are not drawn from only one of the constant density or wind-like media populations.     

Gamma-ray burst afterglows: effects of radiative corrections and non-uniformity of the surrounding medium

The afterglow of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) is commonly thought to be the result of continuous deceleration of a relativistically expanding fireball in the surrounding medium. Assuming that the expansion of the fireball is adiabatic and that the density of the medium is a power-law function of shock radius, i.e. n _ext ∝  R ^{− k} , we study the effects of the first-order radiative correction and the non-uniformity of the medium on a GRB afterglow analytically. We first derive a new relation among the observed time, the shock radius and the Lorentz factor of the fireball: t _⊕ =  R /4(4− k ) γ²c, and also derive a new relation among the comoving time, the shock radius and the Lorentz factor of the fireball: t _co = 2 R /(5− k ) γc. We next study the evolution of the fireball by using the analytic solution of Blandford &38; McKee. The radiation losses may not significantly influence this evolution. We further derive new scaling laws both between the X-ray flux and observed time and between the optical flux and observed time. We use these scaling laws to discuss the afterglows of GRB 970228 and GRB 970616, and find that if the spectral index of the electron distribution is p  = 2.5, implied from the spectra of GRBs, the X-ray afterglow of GRB 970616 is well fitted by assuming k  = 2.     

Overall temporal synchrotron emissions from relativistic jets: adiabatic and radiative breaks

We discuss the afterglow emission from a relativistic jet that is initially in the radiative regime, in which the accelerated electrons are fast-cooling. We note that such a 'semiradiative' jet decelerates faster than an adiabatic jet does. We also take into account the effect of strong inverse-Compton scattering on the cooling frequency in the synchrotron component and therefore on the light-curve decay index. We find that there are two kinds of light-curve break for the jet effect. The first is an 'adiabatic break', if the electrons become slow-cooling before the jet enters a spreading phase, and the second is a 'radiative break', which appears in the contrary case. We then show how a relativistic jet evolves dynamically and derive the overall temporal synchrotron emission in both cases, focusing on the change in the light-curve decay index around the break time. Finally, in view of our results, we rule out two cases for relativistic jets which do not account for the observed light-curve breaks in a few afterglows : (i) an adiabatic jet with strong Compton cooling  ( Y >1)  and with the cooling frequency ν _c locating in the observed energy range; (ii) a radiative jet with a significant fraction of total energy occupied by electrons  ( ε _e ∼1)  .