Can all breaks in gamma-ray burst afterglows be explained by jet effects?

Whether gamma-ray bursts are highly beamed or not is a very important question, as it has been pointed out that the beaming will lead to a sharp break in the afterglow light curves during the ultrarelativistic phase, with the breaking point determined by  Γ∼1/ θ ₀  , where Γ is the bulk Lorentz factor and θ ₀ is the initial half opening angle of the ejecta, and such a break is claimed to be present in the light curves of some GRBs. In this paper we will examine whether all the observed breaks in GRB afterglow light curves can be explained by jet effects. Here we present a detailed calculation of the jet evolution and emission, and have obtained a simple formula of bulk Lorentz factor evolution. We show that the light curves are very smoothly steepened by jet effect, and the shape of the light curve is determined by only one parameter –     , where E and n are the fireball energy and surrounding medium density, respectively. We find that for GRB 990123 and GRB 991216, the jet model can approximately fit their light curves, and the values of     are about 0.17 and 0.22, respectively. On the other hand, the light curves of GRB 990510, GRB 000301c, GRB 000926 and GRB 010222 cannot be fitted by the jet model, which suggests that the breaks may be caused by some other reasons, and the jet effect should be not the unique reason.     

On the Light Curves of GRB Afterglows

We present gamma-ray burst afterglow light curves in X-ray, optical and radio bands for various distributions of accelerated electrons behind the shock. The effects of lateral expansion of the jet and of winds in typical Wolf-Rayet star on the evolution are discussed. The light curves in the radiative case decline more rapidly than those in the adiabatic case. Under the combined effect of jet expansion and wind environment, the light curves have the greatest deviation from those of the standard model. All these results refer to the relativistic phase.     

Optical observations of GRB 050401 afterglow : a case for double-jet model

The afterglow of GRB 050401 presents several novel and interesting features. (i) An initially faster decay in optical band than in X-rays. (ii) A break in the X-ray light curve after ∼0.06 d with an unusual slope after the break. (iii)The X-ray afterglow does not show any spectral evolution across the break while the R -band light curve does not show any break. We have modelled the observed multiband evolution of the afterglow of GRB 050401 as originating in a two-component jet, and interpreting the break in X-ray light curve as due to lateral expansion of a narrow collimated outflow which dominates the X-ray emission. The optical emission is attributed to a wider jet component. Our model reproduces all the observed features of multiband afterglow of GRB 050401. We present optical observations of GRB 050401 using the 104-cm Sampurnanand Telescope at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital. Results of the analysis of multiband data are presented and compared with GRB 030329, the first reported case of double jet.     

Gamma暴余辉的相对论流体动力学演化和光变曲线

本文首先对Gamma暴的观测特性和物理过程作了简要的介绍 ,而后 ,对火球模型的相对论流体动力学机制和同步加速辐射机制作了论述。主要工作是 :具体研究火球所抛出壳层的相对论流体动力学演化 ,应用同步加速辐射机制 ,通过由共动坐标系到实验室坐标系的相对论变换 ,得到Gamma暴余辉的光变曲线。对于火球壳层的不同的动力学演化规律 ,各向同性或各向异性的壳层抛出形式 ,以及不同的外部介质环境 ,所得到的光变曲线都各不相同。通过对这些不同的光变曲线的比较 ,明确了Gamma暴余辉的整体的物理演化图象以及各种物理过程在Gamma暴余辉演化过程中所起的作用 ,并从余辉演化的方面进一步理解了Gamma暴的物理本质     

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)  .     

Variability in GRB afterglows and GRB 021004

We present general analytic expressions for GRB afterglow light curves arising from a variable external density profile and/or a variable energy in the blast wave. The former could arise from a clumpy ISM or a variable stellar wind; The latter could arise from refreshed shocks or from an angular dependent jet structure (patchy shell). Both scenarios would lead to a variable light curve. Our formalism enables us to invert the observed light curve and obtain possible density or energy profiles. The optical afterglow of GRB 021004 was detected 537 s AB (after the burst) [GCN (2002) 1564]. Extensive follow up observations revealed a significant temporal variability. We apply our formalism to the R-band light curve of GRB 021004 and we find that several models provide a good fit to the data. We consider the patchy shell model with p=2.2 as the most likely explanation. According to this model our line of sight was towards a ‘cold spot’ that has lead to a relativity low γ-ray flux and an initially weak afterglow (while the X-ray afterglow flux after a day was above average). Observations above the cooling frequency, ν_c, could provide the best way to distinguish between our different models.     

GRB 990123: reverse and internal shock flashes and late afterglow behaviour

The prompt ( t ≲0.16 d) light curve and initial 9th-magnitude optical flash from GRB 990123 can be attributed to a reverse external shock, or possibly to internal shocks. We discuss the time decay laws and spectral slopes expected under various dynamical regimes, and the constraints imposed on the model by the observations, arguing that they provide strongly suggestive evidence for features beyond those in the simple standard model. The longer term afterglow behaviour is discussed in the context of the forward shock, and it is argued that, if the steepening after 3 d is due to a jet geometry, this is likely to be a result of jet-edge effects, rather than sideways expansion.     

Evidence for chromatic X-ray light-curve breaks in Swift gamma-ray burst afterglows and their theoretical implications

The power-law decay of the X-ray emission of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows 050319, 050401, 050607, 050713A, 050802 and 050922C exhibits a steepening at about 1–4 h after the burst which, surprisingly, is not accompanied by a break in the optical emission. If it is assumed that both the optical and X-ray afterglows arise from the same outflow then, in the framework of the standard forward shock model, the chromaticity of the X-ray light-curve breaks indicates that they do not arise solely from a mechanism related to the outflow dynamics (e.g. energy injection) or the angular distribution of the blast-wave kinetic energy (structured outflows or jets). The lack of a spectral evolution accompanying the X-ray light-curve break shows that these breaks do not arise from the passage of a spectral break (e.g. the cooling frequency) either. Under these circumstances, the decoupling of the X-ray and optical decays requires that the microphysical parameters for the electron and magnetic energies in the forward shock evolve in time, whether the X-ray afterglow is synchrotron or inverse-Compton emission. For a steady evolution of these parameters with the Lorentz factor of the forward shock and an X-ray light curve arising cessation of energy injection into the blast wave, the optical and X-ray properties of the above six Swift afterglows require a circumburst medium with a r ⁻² radial stratification, as expected for a massive star origin for long GRBs. Alternatively, the chromatic X-ray light-curve breaks may indicate that the optical and X-ray emissions arise from different outflows. Neither feature (evolution of microphysical parameters or the different origin of the optical and X-ray emissions) was clearly required by pre-Swift afterglows.     

Relativistic blast waves and synchrotron emission

Relativistic shocks can accelerate particles by the first-order Fermi mechanism; the particles then emit synchrotron emission in the post-shock gas. This process is of particular interest in the models used for the afterglow of gamma-ray bursts. In this paper we use recent results in the theory of particle acceleration at highly relativistic shocks to model the synchrotron emission in an evolving, inhomogeneous and highly relativistic flow. We have developed a numerical code that integrates the relativistic Euler equations for fluid dynamics with a general equation of state, together with a simple transport equation for the accelerated particles. We present tests of this code and, in addition, we use it to study the gamma-ray burst afterglow predicted by the fireball model, along with the hydrodynamics of a spherically-symmetric relativistic blast wave.
We find that, while broadly speaking the behaviour of the emission is similar to that already predicted with semi-analytic approaches, the detailed behaviour is somewhat different. The 'breaks' in the synchrotron spectrum behave differently with time, and the spectrum above the final break is harder than had previously been expected. These effects are due to the incorporation of the geometry of the (spherical) blast wave, along with relativistic beaming and adiabatic cooling of the energetic particles leading to a mix, in the observed spectrum, between recently injected 'uncooled' particles and the older 'cooled' population in different parts of the evolving, inhomogeneous flow.     

Ring-Shaped Jets in Gamma-Ray Bursts

When the axis of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) does not coincide with the spin axis of its source, there may result a ring-shaped jet. Using some refined jet dynamics, we calculate multi-wavelength afterglow light curves for such ring-shaped jets. In the R-band we find an obvious break in the afterglow light curve due to the beaming effect and the break is affected by many parameters, such as the electron energy fraction ξe, the magnetic energy fraction ξ2B, the width of ring A0 and the medium number density n. The overall light curve can be divided into three power-law stages, I.e., an ultra-relativistic stage, an after-break stage and a deep Newtonian stage. For each stage the power-law index is larger in the ring-shaped jet than in the corresponding conical jet.     

The infrared jet in 3C 66B

We present images of infrared (IR) emission from the radio jet in 3C 66B. Data at three wavelengths (4.5, 6.75 and 14.5 μm) were obtained using the Infrared Space Observatory . The 6.75-μm image clearly shows an extension aligned with the radio structure. The jet was also detected in the 14.5-μm image, but not at 4.5 μm. The radio–infrared–optical spectrum of the jet can be interpreted as synchrotron emission from a population of electrons with a high-energy break of 4×10¹¹ eV. We place upper limits on the IR flux from the radio counter-jet. A symmetrical, relativistically beamed twin-jet structure is consistent with our results if the jets consist of multiple components.     

The circumstellar environment of Wolf–Rayet stars and gamma-ray burst afterglows

We study the evolution of the circumstellar medium of massive stars. We pay particular attention to Wolf-Rayet stars that are thought to be the progenitors of some long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We detail the mass-loss rates we use in our stellar evolution models and how we estimate the stellar wind speeds during different phases. With these details we simulate the interactions between the wind and the interstellar medium to predict the circumstellar environment around the stars at the time of core-collapse. We then investigate how the structure of the environment might affect the GRB afterglow. We find that when the afterglow jet encounters the free-wind/stalled-wind interface, rebrightening occurs and a bump is seen in the afterglow light curve. However, our predicted positions of this interface are too distant from the site of the GRB to reach while the afterglow remains observable. The values of the final wind density,   A _*  , from our stellar models are of the same order (≲1) as some of the values inferred from observed afterglow light curves. We do not reproduce the lowest   A _*  values below 0.5 inferred from afterglow observations. For these cases, we suggest that the progenitors could have been a WO-type Wolf–Rayet (WR) star or a very low-metallicity star. Finally, we turn our attention to the matter of stellar wind material producing absorption lines in the afterglow spectra. We discuss the observational signatures of two WR stellar types, WC and WO, in the afterglow light curve and spectra. We also indicate how it may be possible to constrain the initial mass and metallicity of a GRB progenitor by using the inferred wind density and wind velocity.     

Blazar天体中光学射电大爆发的频谱演化

本文讨论Ｂｌａｚａｒ天体中光学射电大爆发频谱演化的理论模型．考虑沿喷流传播的相对论性激波所注入或加速的相对论性电子，受到康普顿、同步辐射和绝热膨胀三种损耗，并计及相对论电子能谱的高能截断．假定喷流轴线与观测者方向构成很小角度．文中给出了大爆发频谱三阶段连续演化的特性，即康普顿阶段，同步辐射阶段和绝热膨胀阶段的爆发特性．频谱演化用（Ｓｍ－ｖｍ）关系表达（见图２，图中Ｓｍ为频谱反转流量，ｖｍ为反转频率），它与一些Ｂｌａｚａｒ天体中观测到的典型形式相符合．     

Gamma-ray burst afterglow scaling coefficients for general density profiles

Gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows are well described by synchrotron emission originating from the interaction between a relativistic blast wave and the external medium surrounding the GRB progenitor. We introduce a code to reconstruct spectra and light curves from arbitrary fluid configurations, making it especially suited to study the effects of fluid flows beyond those that can be described using analytical approximations. As a check and first application of our code, we use it to fit the scaling coefficients of theoretical models of afterglow spectra. We extend earlier results of other authors to general circumburst density profiles. We rederive the physical parameters of GRB 970508 and compare with other authors.     

Blazar天体射电爆发的持续注入喷流模型

为了解释Blazar天体射电爆发的普遍演化特性，本文提出一个持续注入的喷流模型．假定在喷流基底上以相对论性速度持续地注入相对记等离子体（由磁场和相对论电子组成）．这一等离子体在沿喷流向外运动时经受绝热膨胀损耗．理论计算表明，射电爆发的频谱演化具有Valtaoja等人所建议的典型的3阶段演化形式.它们非常好地重现了Blazar天体中观测到的射电爆发的普遍行为．     

Possible effects of pair echoes on gamma-ray burst afterglow emission

High-energy emission from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is widely expected but had been sparsely observed until recently when the Fermi satellite was launched. If >TeV gamma-rays are produced in GRBs and can escape from the emission region, they are attenuated by the cosmic infrared background photons, leading to regeneration of ∼GeV–TeV secondary photons via inverse-Compton scattering. This secondary emission can last for a longer time than the duration of GRBs, and it is called a pair echo. We investigate how this pair echo emission affects spectra and light curves of high-energy afterglows, considering not only prompt emission but also afterglow as the primary emission. Detection of pair echoes is possible as long as the intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF) in voids is weak. We find (1) that the pair echo from the primary afterglow emission can affect the observed high-energy emission in the afterglow phase after the jet break and (2) that the pair echo from the primary prompt emission can also be relevant, but only when significant energy is emitted in the TeV range, typically     . Even non-detections of the pair echoes could place interesting constraints on the strength of IGMF. The more favourable targets to detect pair echoes may be the 'naked' GRBs without conventional afterglow emission, although energetic naked GRBs would be rare. If the IGMF is weak enough, it is predicted that the GeV emission extends to >30–300 s.     

Afterglow Light Curves of Jetted Gamma-ray Burst Ejecta in Stellar Winds

Optical and radio afterglows arising from shocks by relativistic conical ejecta running into pre-burst massive stellar winds are revisited. Under the homogeneous thin-shell approximation and a realistic treatment for the lateral expansion of jets, our results show that a notable break exists in the optical light curve in most cases we calculated in which the physical parameters are varied within reasonable ranges. For a relatively tenuous wind which cannot decelerate the relativistic jet to cause a light curve break within days, the wind termination shock due to the ram pressure of the surrounding medium occurs at a small radius, namely, a few times 1017 cm. In such a structured wind environment, the jet will pass through the wind within several hours and run into the outer uniform dense medium. The resulting optical light curve flattens with a shallower drop after the jet encounters the uniform medium, and then declines deeply, triggered by runaway lateral expansion.     

Observations of radio emission from the cosmic gamma-ray burst GRB 030329

We present the radio observations of the afterglow from the intense cosmic gamma-ray burst GRB 030329 performed with the radio telescopes of the Institute of Applied Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences, at the Svetloe (λ=3.5 cm) and Zelenchuk (λ=6 cm) Observatories. The difference between the fluxes measured in two different polarization modes suggests the existence of a circular polarization in the radio afterglow from GRB 030329. However, since the measurement errors of the fluxes with different circular polarizations are large, we cannot draw a firm conclusion about its detection; we can only set an upper limit on its value. An analysis of the possible generation mechanisms for the circular polarization of the relativistic jet suggests that there is a helical magnetic field in the jet. The existence of significant flux densities at various wavelengths during a long (≥10 days) period leads us to conclude that the hydrodynamic evolution of the relativistic bow shock takes place in the stellar wind, not in the interstellar medium. We have estimated the total GRB energy (E=10⁵¹ erg) (under the assumption of isotropic radiation) and the plasma density of the stellar wind from the presupernova (n=3 cm^?3). The magnetic-field strength in the relativistic jet can be estimated as B≈100 G.     

Supernovae in helium star–compact object binaries: a possible γ-ray burst mechanism

Helium star–compact object binaries, and helium star–neutron star binaries in particular, are widely believed to be the progenitors of the observed double-neutron-star systems. In these, the second neutron star is presumed to be the compact remnant of the helium star supernova. In this paper, the observational implications of such a supernova are discussed, and in particular are explored as a candidate γ-ray burst mechanism. In this scenario, the supernova results in a transient period of rapid accretion on to the compact object, extracting via magnetic torques its rotational energy at highly super-Eddington luminosities in the form of a narrowly beamed, strongly electromagnetically dominated jet. Compton scattering of supernova photons advected within the ejecta, and photons originating at shocks driven into the ejecta by the jet, will cool the jet and can produce the observed prompt emission characteristics, including the peak-inferred isotropic energy relation, X-ray flash characteristics, subpulse light curves, energy-dependent time lags and subpulse broadening, and late time spectral softening. The duration of the burst is limited by the rate of Compton cooling of the jet, eventually creating an optically thick, moderately relativistically expanding fireball that can produce the afterglow emission. If the black hole or neutron star stays bound to a compact remnant, late term light curve variability may be observed as in SN 2003dh.     

On the optical light curves of afterglows from jetted gamma-ray burst ejecta: effects of parameters

Owing to some refinements in the dynamics, we can follow the overall evolution of a realistic jet numerically until its bulk velocity is as small as c 10³ c . We find no obvious break in the optical light curve during the relativistic phase itself . However, an obvious break does exist at the transition from the relativistic phase to the non-relativistic phase, which typically occurs at time t 10⁶10^6.5 s (i.e. 1030 d). The break is affected by many parameters, such as the electron energy fraction _e, the magnetic energy fraction the initial half-opening angle ₀ and the medium number density n . Increasing any of them to a large enough value will make the break disappear. Although the break itself is parameter-dependent, afterglows from jetted GRB remnants are uniformly characterized by a quick decay during the non-relativistic phase, with power-law timing index 2.1. This is quite different from that of isotropic fireballs, and may be of fundamental importance for determining the degree of beaming in -ray bursts observationally.