A systematic search for radio pulses associated with gamma-ray bursts

An automated station for the detection of radio bursts at 151 and 408 MHz has been operating at Medicina (Italy) since 1976. Radio data associated with 32 gamma-ray bursts, detected between July 1976 and April 1979, have been analysed. The results will be discussed in the present paper.Paper presented at the Symposium and Workshop on Gamma-Ray Bursts, Toulouse, France, 26–29 November, 1979.     

A broadband spectrometer for decimeter and microwave radio bursts

Observations of solar microwave bursts with high temporal and spectral resolution have shown interesting fine structures (FSs) of short duration and small bandwidth which are usually superimposed on the smooth continuum. These FSs are very intense (up to 10¹⁵ K) and show sometimes a high degree of circular polarization (up to 100%). They are believed to be generated by electron cyclotron maser emission (ECME) in magnetic loops. Another type are the microwave type III bursts, which are drifting microwave FSs, and are probably the signatures of travelling electron beams in the solar atmosphere. The exact emission mechanisms for these phenomena, in particular the source configuration, the plasma parameters and the distribution of radiating electrons are not clear. For a detailed study of these problems new observations of intensity and polarization with high resolution in time and in frequency in decimeter and microwave wavebands are essential. In order to investigate these features in greater detail, spectrometers with high temporal and spectral resolution are being developed by the solar radio astronomy community of China (Beijing Astronomical Observatory (BAO), Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO), Yunnan Astronomical Observatory (YAO), and Nanjing University (NJU)). The frequency range from 0.7 to about 12 GHz is covered by about five spectrometers in frequency ranges of 0.7–1.4 GHz, 1–2 GHz, 2.4–3.6 GHz, 4.9–7.3 GHz, and 8–12 GHz, respectively. The radiospectrometers will form a combined type of swept-frequency and multi-channel receivers. The main characteristics of the solar radio spectrometers are: frequency resolution: 1–10 MHz; temporal resolution: 1–10 ms; sensitivity: better than 2% of the quiet-Sun level. We pay special attention to the sensitivity and the accuracy of polarization. Now, the 1–2 GHz radiospectrometer is being set up. The full system will be set up in 3–4 years.Presented at the CESRA-Workshop on Coronal Magnetic Release at Caputh near Potsdam in May 1994.     

TeV scale quantum gravity and mirror supernovae as sources of gamma-ray bursts

Mirror matter models have been suggested recently as an explanation of neutrino puzzles and microlensing anomalies. We show that mirror supernovae can be a copious source of energetic gamma rays if one assumes that the quantum gravity scale is in the TeV range. We show that under certain assumptions plausible in the mirror models, the gamma energies could be degraded to the 10 MeV range (and perhaps even further) so as to provide an explanation of observed gamma-ray bursts. This mechanism for the origin of the gamma-ray bursts has the advantage that it neatly avoids the “baryon load problem”.     

Radial distributions of gamma-ray bursts and type Ib/c supernovae in galaxies

Data on the positions of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in galaxies are used to construct the radial distributions of their surface density. The gradient in GRB surface density is shown to decrease sharply at a galactocentric distance equal to the effective galactic radius. In central galactic regions, the GRB density distribution agrees with the galactic surface-brightness distribution; in outer regions, the GRB density decreases more slowly than does the surface brightness. Based on improved statistics, we analyze the radial distribution of type Ib/c supernovae. We show that it differs insignificantly from the distributions of other types of supernova and exhibits a much closer similarity to the distribution of star-forming regions than do GRBs. Although the statistics for GRBs is poor, the deviation of their distribution from the distribution of active star-forming regions in nearby galaxies seems to have been firmly established. A correlation of GRBs with the distribution of dark matter in outer galactic regions is not ruled out.     

A review of solar type III radio bursts

Solar type III radio bursts are an important diagnostic tool in the understanding of solar accelerated electron beams. They are a signature of propagating beams of nonthermal electrons in the solar atmosphere and the solar system. Consequently, they provide information on electron acceleration and transport, and the conditions of the background ambient plasma they travel through. We review the observational properties of type III bursts with an emphasis on recent results and how each property can help identify attributes of electron beams and the ambient background plasma. We also review some of the theoretical aspects of type III radio bursts and cover a number of numerical efforts that simulate electron beam transport through the solar corona and the heliosphere.     

A search for ultra-high energy counterparts to gamma-ray bursts

A small air shower array operating over many years has been used to search for ultra-high energy (UHE) gamma radiation ( 50 TeV) associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the BATSE instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO). Upper limits for a one minute interval after each burst are presented for seven GRBs located with zenith angles < 20°. A 4.3 excess over background was observed between 10 and 20 minutes following the onset of a GRB on 11 May 1991. The confidence level that this is due to a real effect and not a background fluctuation is 99.8%. If this effect is real then cosmological models are excluded for this burst because of absorption of UHE gamma rays by the intergalactic radiation fields.     

A time profile of millisecond pulsations of solar microwave radio bursts

An hypothesis on the interference origin of millisecond pulsations of solar-burst microwave radio emissions based on the fact that the signal scintillation appears as a result of radio-wave propagation through an inhomogeneous turbulent corona is considered. It is shown that the time profile of pulsations depends on the phase difference of interfering waves and can either look like pulses of “emission” and “absorption” or it can have a sawtooth form with slow buildup and fast drop. The observed properties of pulsations were compared with predictions of this model; this comparison showed that the formation of pulsations and their observed properties are satisfactorily explained by multipath propagation, which takes place at traversal of the coronal plasma by radio waves.     

A quark nova in the wake of a core-collapse supernova:a unifying model for long duration gamma-ray bursts and fast radio bursts

By appealing to a quark nova(QN;the explosive transition of a neutron star to a quark star) in the wake of a core-collapse supernova(CCSN) explosion of a massive star,we develop a unified model for long duration gamma-ray bursts(LGRBs) and fast radio bursts(FRBs).The time delay(years to decades)between the SN and the QN,and the fragmented nature(i.e.,millions of chunks) of the relativistic QN ejecta are key to yielding a robust LGRB engine.In our model,an LGRB light curve exhibits the interaction of the fragmented QN ejecta with turbulent(i.e.,filamentary and magnetically saturated) SN ejecta which is shaped by its interaction with an underlying pulsar wind nebula(PWN).The afterglow is due to the interaction of the QN chunks,exiting the SN ejecta,with the surrounding medium.Our model can fit BAT/XRT prompt and afterglow light curves simultaneously with their spectra,thus yielding the observed properties of LGRBs(e.g.,the Band function and the X-ray flares).We find that the peak luminositypeak photon energy relationship(i.e.,the Yonetoku law),and the isotropic energy-peak photon energy relationship(i.e.,the Amati law) are not fundamental but phenomenological.FRB-like emission in our model results from coherent synchrotron emission(CSE) when the QN chunks interact with non-turbulent weakly magnetized PWN-SN ejecta,where conditions are prone to the Weibel instability.Magnetic field amplification induced by the Weibel instability in the shocked chunk frame sets the bunching length for electrons and pairs to radiate coherently.The resulting emission frequency,luminosity and duration in our model are consistent with FRB data.We find a natural unification of high-energy burst phenomena from FRBs(i.e.,those connected to CCSNe) to LGRBs including X-ray flashes(XRFs) and X-ray rich GRBs(XRR-GRBs) as well as superluminous SNe(SLSNe).We find a possible connection between ultra-high energy cosmic rays and FRBs and propose that a QN following a binary neutron star merger can yield a short duration GRB(SGRB) with fits to BAT/XRT light curves.     

A mini-supernova model for optical afterglows of gamma-ray bursts

An energy deposition of ∼10⁵⁰ erg into the exterior 10⁻³ M⊙ layers of a red giant is calculated to produce an optical phenomenon similar to afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRB) recently observed. This mechanism can be realized if a GRB is generated by some mechanism in a close binary system. In contrast to a 'hypernova' scenario for GRB recently proposed by Paczyński, this model does not require huge kinetic energy in the expanding shell to explain optical afterglows of GRB.     

A mechanism for pulsation in solar microwave bursts

I suggest that the pulsation in solar microwave bursts is a modulation of gyro-synchrotron radiation. Whistler waves at the foot of a coronal loop (radio source) interact with nonthermal electrons with loss-cone distribution at the top. As a consequence, electrons outside the loss-cone diffuse into the loss-cone, pass through the loop foot, sink in the atmosphere, and emit gyro-synchrotron radiation as additional pulses. Electrons remaining outside the loss-cone give the background radiation of the burst.Assuming the configuration of a magnetic dipole lying below the photosphere, I calculated the period of pulsation to be 1 s- 1 min. The ratio of the pulse peak to background intensity is calculated to be 0 – 100%; the calculated pulse width is about 0.3 – 50 s. These values are consistent with the observed values. A brief discussion of the probable interpretation of fast, millisecond structures is also given.     

Some studies on the solar microwave bursts in relation to the slowly varying component

The occurrences of 5772 microwave bursts recorded by the Sagamore Hill and Manilla Solar Radio Observatories over the period January 1968 to July 1970, covering the maximum phase of the current solar cycle at frequencies 2695, 4995 and 8800 MHz and their energy excesses have been examined in relation to the S-component of solar radio emission. The average slowly varying component has been determined by the superposed epoch method commonly known as the Chree analysis. Similar treatment of the bursts, data, mentioned above has been made to examine any probable 27-day variation and the results obtained have been compared with that of the S-component. Further, spectra of the microwave bursts under the so-called spectral type - inverted U, particularly those having a peak at 4995 MHz, have also been examined and compared with the average spectrum of the S-component. Some of the important results obtained from the present analysis are: (1) the nature of variation of both the average number of occurrences and energy excesses of the microwave bursts follow in general the average 27-day variation of the S-component, (2) the number of occurrences and energy excesses of the microwave bursts are comparatively greater in the ascending phase of the 27-day cycle than those in the descending phase, (3) bursts at progressively higher frequencies originate at lower levels in the solar atmosphere than those of the associated S-component, and (4) the average spectrum of the microwave bursts of inverted U spectral type having a peak at 4995 MHz is quite identical in nature to that of the S-component.     

The heating of the solar plasma due to microwave phenomena correlated with type II meter bursts

The heating of the solar plasma of those layers is considered where the microwave bursts are emitted. In a first step, we restrict ourselves to phenomena correlated with the so-called type II m bursts. Bursts of this kind are excited by shock-waves initiated near the optical flare region. These shock-waves spread out into the higher corona, and if the shock strength is sufficiently high, the microwave region is heated to 10⁷ K. But this temperature is too low to explain the burst radiation. In this paper, it is shown that at plasma temperatures about 10⁷ K a fairly high number of electrons is accelerated by Alfvén waves to equivalent kinetic temperatures of about 10⁸ K. We assume that the Alfvén waves are generated near the sunspots, and, therefore, the accelerated electrons run along the magnetic-field lines into the microwave source lying between the two spots of an assumed dipole field. Within this source, the considered electrons thermalize and, after a short time, the source reaches temperatures of 5 × 10⁷ K to 10⁸ K.A plasma of this temperature with an electron density about 5 × 10⁹ cm^–3 and a magnetic induction of 300 G is optically thick even at frequencies about 10 GHz, because the gyromagnetic absorption is very high.     

On the formulae for calculating the magnetic field in the source of solar radio microwave impulsive bursts

Using the theory of radiation mechanism of gyro-synchrotron from both the thermal and the nonthermal electrons and adopting the relation between the peak frequency and the corresponding rise time of microwave bursts, we have derived several varied analytical expressions of the magnetic field formulae in the source regions of solar radio microwave bursts under the conditions of thermal and nonthermal models, respectively, and made some brief discussions.