A Close Correlation between the Spectral Lags and Redshifts of Gamma-Ray Bursts

Based on nine BATSE GRBs with known redshifts, we found that the maximum spectral lag of all the pulses in a gamma-ray burst (GRB) appears to be anti-correlated with the redshift of the burst. In order to confirm this finding, we analyzed 10 GRBs detected by HETE-2 with known redshifts and found a similar relation. Using the relation, we estimated the redshifts of 878 long GRBs in the BATSE catalog, then we investigated the distributions of the redshifts and 869 Eiso of these GRBs. The distribution of the estimated redshifts is concentrated at z = 1.4 and the distribution of Eiso peaks at 1052.5 erg. The underlying physics of the correlation is unclear at present.     

Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Swift Era

1 INTRODUCTION Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are fascinating celestial objects. These short, energetic bursts of gamma-rays mark the most violent, cataclysmic explosions in the universe, likely associated with the births of stellar- size black holes or rapidly spinning, highly magnetized neutron stars. Since the detections of their long- wavelength afterglows (Costa et al. 1997; van Paradijs et al. 1997; Frail et al. 1997), GRBs are observa- tionally accessible in essentially all electromagn…     

Where are Swiftγ-ray bursts beyond the 'synchrotron deathline'?

We study time-resolved spectra of the prompt emission of Swift γ-ray bursts (GRB). Our goal is to see if previous BATSE claims of the existence of a large amount of spectra with the low-energy photon indices harder than 2/3 are consistent with Swift data. We perform a systematic search of the episodes of the spectral hardening down to the photon indices  ≤2/3  in the prompt emission spectra of Swift GRBs. We show that the data of the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) instrument on board of Swift are consistent with BATSE data, if one takes into account differences between the two instruments. Much lower statistics of the very hard spectra in Swift GRBs are explained by the smaller field of view and narrower energy band of the BAT telescope.     

Star formation history up to z= 7.4: implications for gamma-ray bursts and cosmic metallicity evolution

The current Swift sample of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with measured redshifts allows us to test the assumption that GRBs trace star formation in the Universe. Some authors have claimed that the rate of GRBs increases with cosmic redshift faster than the star formation rate, whose cause is not yet known. In this paper, I investigate the possibility of interpreting the observed discrepancy between the GRB rate history and the star formation rate history using cosmic metallicity evolution. I am motivated by the observation that cosmic metallicity evolves with redshift and GRBs tend to occur in low-metallicity galaxies. First, I derive a star formation history up to redshift   z = 7.4  from an updated sample of star formation rate densities. This is obtained by adding the new ultraviolet measurements of Bouwens et al. and the new ultraviolet and infrared measurements of Reddy et al. to the existing sample compiled by Hopkins & Beacom. Then, adopting a simple model for the relation between GRB production and the cosmic metallicity history as proposed by Langer & Norman, I show that the observed redshift distribution of the Swift GRBs can be reproduced with good accuracy. Although the results are limited by the small size of the GRB sample and the poorly understood selection biases in detection and localization of GRBs and in redshift determination, they suggest that GRBs trace both star formation and metallicity evolution. If the star formation history can be accurately measured with other approaches, which is presumably achievable in the near future, it will be possible to determine the cosmic metallicity evolution using the study of the redshift distribution of GRBs.     

Testing the gamma-ray burst variability/peak luminosity correlation on a Swift homogeneous sample

We test the gamma-ray burst (GRB) correlation between temporal variability and peak luminosity of the γ-ray profile on a homogeneous sample of 36 Swift /Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) GRBs with firm redshift determination. This is the first time that this correlation can be tested on a homogeneous data sample. The correlation is confirmed, as long as the six GRBs with low luminosity (  <5 × 10⁵⁰   erg s⁻¹  in the rest-frame 100–1000 keV energy band) are ignored. We confirm that the considerable scatter of the correlation already known is not due to the combination of data from different instruments with different energy bands, but it is intrinsic to the correlation itself. Thanks to the unprecedented sensitivity of Swift /BAT, the variability/peak luminosity correlation is tested on low-luminosity GRBs. Our results show that these GRBs are definite outliers.     

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.     

Methods and results of an automatic analysis of a complete sample of Swift-XRT observations of GRBs

We present a homogeneous X-ray analysis of all 318 gamma-ray bursts detected by the X-ray telescope (XRT) on the Swift satellite up to 2008 July 23; this represents the largest sample of X-ray GRB data published to date. In Sections 2–3 , we detail the methods which the Swift -XRT team has developed to produce the enhanced positions, light curves, hardness ratios and spectra presented in this paper. Software using these methods continues to create such products for all new GRBs observed by the Swift -XRT. We also detail web-based tools allowing users to create these products for any object observed by the XRT, not just GRBs. In Sections 4–6 , we present the results of our analysis of GRBs, including probability distribution functions of the temporal and spectral properties of the sample. We demonstrate evidence for a consistent underlying behaviour which can produce a range of light-curve morphologies, and attempt to interpret this behaviour in the framework of external forward shock emission. We find several difficulties, in particular that reconciliation of our data with the forward shock model requires energy injection to continue for days to weeks.     

GRB‐selected galaxies

We describe the current status and recent results from our Swift/VLT legacy survey, a VLT Large Programme aimed at characterizing the host galaxies of a homogeneously selected sub‐sample of Swift gamma‐ray bursts (GRBs). The immediate goals are to determine the host luminosity function, study the effects of reddening, determine the fraction of Lyα emitters in the hosts, and obtain redshifts for targets without a reported one. We have defined a very carefully selected sample, obeying strict and well‐defined criteria: 68 targets in total. Among the preliminary results is a large optical detection rate, the lack of extremely red objects (only one possible case in the sample), and 10 new GRB redshifts with the mean redshift of the host sample assessed to be 〈z 〉 ≳ 2 (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Swift时代伽马射线暴的观测和理论

伽马射线暴是宇宙中最剧烈的爆发现象之一.Swift卫星的快速定位和Fermi卫星的宽、高能段观测,使得伽马暴的观测可以全波段进行.通过Swift的观测可以对伽马暴现象的本质有进一步的理解,而Fermi卫星提供了一些暴高能光子的辐射数据,为进一步研究暴的辐射机制和伽马暴以及它的余辉提供了有力的依据.介绍了Swift和Fermi卫星发射后一些伽马暴的观测和理论研究进展.     

Energetics–spectral correlations versus the BATSE gamma-ray bursts population

The proposed correlations between the energetics of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their spectral properties, namely the peak energy of their prompt emission, can broadly account for the observed fluence distribution of all 'bright' BATSE GRBs, under the hypothesis that the GRB rate is proportional to the star formation rate and that the observed distribution in peak energy is independent of redshift. The correlations can also be broadly consistent with the properties of the whole BATSE long GRB population for a peak energy distribution smoothly extending towards lower energies, and in agreement with the properties of a sample at 'intermediate' fluences and with the luminosity functions inferred from the GRB number counts. We discuss the constraints that this analysis imposes on the shape of such peak energy distribution, the opening angle distribution and the tightness of the proposed correlations.     

GeV emission from gamma-ray burst afterglows

We calculate the GeV afterglow emission expected from a few mechanisms related to gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows. Given the brightness of the early X-ray afterglow emission measured by Swift /X-Ray Telescope, Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST)/Large Area Telescope (LAT) should detect the self-Compton emission from the forward shock driven by the GRB ejecta into the circumburst medium. Novel features discovered by Swift in X-ray afterglows (plateaus and chromatic light-curve breaks) indicate the existence of a pair-enriched, relativistic outflow located behind the forward shock. Bulk and inverse-Compton upscattering of the prompt GRB emission by such outflows provide another source of GeV afterglow emission detectable by LAT. The large-angle burst emission and synchrotron forward-shock emission are, most likely, too dim at high photon energy to be observed by LAT. The spectral slope of the high-energy afterglow emission and its decay rate (if it can be measured) allow the identification of the mechanism producing the GeV transient emission following GRBs.     

Consistency Analysis of the Data of GRBs Observed by Different Satellites

The BATSE (Compton Gamma-ray Observatory/Bursts and Transient Source Experiment), Swift (Swift Gamma-ray Burst Explorer) and Fermi (Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope) satellites have provided us with a large amount of GRB sample. After a systematical study and comparison of the properties of the GRBs detected by these 3 kinds of instruments, it is found that although significant differences exist in the number of red-shifted bursts, the proportion of long bursts in total bursts and the photon flux distribution (lgN − lg P), but no significant difference exists in the duration time, the total flux of Gamma-ray radiation and the spectral hardness ratio. Considering that the observational energy bands of the Swift- and Fermi-detected bursts are different, after making corrections the difference in the lgN − lg P distribution can be basically eliminated. The differences in the number of red-shifted bursts and the proportion of long bursts in total bursts are caused by the different sensitivities of instruments. Namely, various instruments give different observed characteristics of GRBs, but they are consistent in nature.     

Not enough evidence to support the correlation between gamma-ray bursts and foreground galaxy clusters in the Swift Era

The correlation between distant Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and foreground galaxy clusters is re-examined by using the well localized (with an accuracy down to a few arcsec) Swift/XRT GRBs.The galaxy clusters are compiled from both the X-ray selected ROSAT brightest cluster sample (BCS) and the BCS extension by requiring δ≧ 0° and b ≧ 20°.The Swift/XRT GRBs fulfilling the above selection criteria are cross-correlated with the clusters.Both Nearest-Neighbor analysis and the angular two-point cross-correlation function show that there is not enough evidence supporting the correlation between the GRBs and foreground clusters.We suggest that the non-correlation is probably related to the GRB number-flux relation slope.     

Millimetric properties of gamma-ray burst host galaxies

We present millimetre (mm) and submillimetre (submm) photometry of a sample of five host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), obtained using the Max Planck Millimetre Bolometer (MAMBO2) array and Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA). These observations were obtained as part of an ongoing project to investigate the status of GRBs as indicators of star formation. Our targets include two of the most unusual GRB host galaxies, selected as likely candidate submm galaxies: the extremely red  ( R − K ≈ 5)  host of GRB 030115, and the extremely faint  ( R > 29.5)  host of GRB 020124. Neither of these galaxies is detected, but the deep upper limits for GRB 030115 impose constraints on its spectral energy distribution, requiring a warmer dust temperature than is commonly adopted for submillimetre galaxies (SMGs).
As a framework for interpreting these data, and for predicting the results of forthcoming submm surveys of Swift -derived host samples, we model the expected flux and redshift distributions based on luminosity functions of both submm galaxies and GRBs, assuming a direct proportionality between the GRB rate density and the global star formation rate density. We derive the effects of possible sources of uncertainty in these assumptions, including (1) introducing an anticorrelation between GRB rate and the global average metallicity, and (2) varying the dust temperature.     

Open issues with the gamma-ray burst redshift distribution

Cosmological gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are the brightest explosions in the Universe. Satellite detectors, such as Beppo-SAX, HETE2 and more recently Swift, have provided a wealth of data, including the localization and redshifts of subsets of GRBs. The redshift distribution has been utilized in several studies in attempts to constrain the evolving star formation rate and to probe GRB rate evolution in the high-redshift Universe. These studies find that the GRB luminosity function and/or the rate density evolve with redshift. We present a short review of the problems of constraining GRB rate evolution in the context of the complex mix of biases inherent in the redshift measurements. To disentangle GRB rate evolution from the biases prevalent in the redshift distribution will require accounting for the incompleteness of the observed redshift sample. We highlight the importance of formulating a ‘complete GRB selection function’ to account for the main sources of bias.     

The correlations between hardness ratios and fitting parameters in GRB spectrum

In this paper, besides general definition of hardness ratio of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), HR ₃₂, we also presented new definitions of hardness ratios, HR _hl and HR _ll, then presented the results of correlation studies, examining the association between the hardness ratios and the spectral fitting parameters (E ₀ or E _peak, α, β) by using the GRB data observed by BATSE. The HR _hl is defined as the fluence of channel 4 divided by the sum of the fluences of channels 1 to 3,and the HR _ll is defined as the fluence of channel 3 divided by the sum of the fluences of channel 1 and 2. We found that E ₀ and E _peak are correlated with hardness ratios, and β is only correlated with log (HR _hl). The α is not correlated with any hardness ratios in the total sample of GRBs, while it correlated with log (HR _ll) and log (HR ₃₂) in the two subsets seperated at log (HR _ll) = 0.34 ×α +0.66, respectively. These results show that a harder spectra tends to be steeper and has a higher E _peak or E ₀; HR _hl describes the spectral behaviors in high energy, while both of HR _ll and HR ₃₂ reflect the spectral characteristics in low energy; the spectral behaviors in low energy are different for the two subsets. We also presented a brief qualitative analysis discussion to the correlations and suggested that the correlations are caused by both of intrinsic and cosmological effects, but intrinsic effects are dominant. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

同步辐射和费米伽马暴光谱的一致性检验

定义了一个新的量,曲率宽度,去检查同步模型与伽玛射线暴(GRB)光谱的一致性.此量用于测量GRB中辐射能谱(νFν,ν和Fν分别是频率和随频率变化的能量流量)峰值处的光谱拐折锐度.然后使用它检查了理论同步模型与观测到的GRB光谱之间的一致性.首先计算几种典型的同步模型的曲率宽度,包括单能、单幂律和拐折幂律电子同步模型.其次从Fermi/GBM (Gamma-ray Burst Monitor)长GRB时间分辨光谱目录中选择包含1198个光谱的GRB样本,将光谱与常用的经验模型拟合,并计算最佳拟合模型的光谱曲率宽度.通过比较两个曲率宽度,发现大多数样本与同步模型不一致,因为同步模型的光谱拐折比数据的光谱拐折更加平滑.结果表明同步模型很难适合大多数观测到的GRB光谱.此外,在暴脉冲中发现光子流量和曲率宽度之间存在强的反相关性,这表明流量越高,光谱拐折越尖锐,或者与同步模型的偏差就越大.     

An Interpretation of the Evidence for TeV Emission from GRB 970417a

The Milagrito collaboration recently reported evidence for emission of very high energy gamma rays in the TeV range from one of the BATSE gamma-ray bursts, GRB 970417a. Here I discuss possible interpretations of this result. Taking into account the intergalactic absorption of TeV gamma rays by the cosmic infrared background, I found that the detection rate (one per 54 gamma-ray bursts [GRBs] observed by the Milagrito) and energy fluence can be consistently explained with the redshift of this GRB at z approximately 0.7 and the isotropic total energy in the TeV range, ETeV,iso greater, similar1054 ergs. This energy scale is not unreasonably large, but interestingly similar to the maximum total GRB energy in the sub-MeV range observed to date for GRB 990123. On the other hand, the energy emitted in the ordinary sub-MeV range becomes EMeV,iso approximately 1051 ergs for GRB 970417a, which is much smaller than the total energy in the TeV range by a factor of about 10(3). I show that the proton-synchrotron model of GRBs provides a possible explanation for these observational results. I also discuss some observational signatures expected in future experiments from this model.     

On the Maximum Mass of Differentially Rotating Neutron Stars

The analysis of spectral lag between energy bands, which combines temporal and spectral analyses, can add strict constraints to gamma-ray burst (GRB) models. In previous studies, the lag analysis focused on the lags between channel 1 (25-57 keV) and channel 3 (115-320 keV) from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE). In this Letter, we analyzed the cross-correlation average lags (including approximate uncertainties) between energy bands for two GRB samples: 19 events detected by Ginga and 109 events detected by BATSE. We paid special attention to the BATSE GRBs with known redshifts because there has been a reported connection between lag and luminosity. This extends our knowledge of spectral lags to lower energy ( approximately 2 keV). We found that lags between energy bands are small. The lag between the peak of approximately 50 keV photons and that of approximately 200 keV photons is approximately 0.08 s. The upper limit in the lag between approximately 9 and approximately 90 keV photons is approximately 0.5 s. Thus, there are not large shifts at low energy. We found that about 20% of GRBs have detectable lags between energy bands in the Ginga and BATSE samples. From the internal shock model, we found that there are three sources of time structure in GRB pulses: cooling, hydrodynamics, and angular effects. We argue that cooling is much too fast to account for our observed lags and that angular effects are independent of energy. Thus, only hydrodynamics can produce these lags. Perhaps the radiation process varies as the reverse shock moves through the shell.     

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.