We show how the redshift and peak-flux distributions of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have an observation time dependence that can be used to discriminate between different burst populations. We demonstrate how observation time relations can be derived from the standard integral distributions and that they can differentiate between GRB populations detected by both the BATSE and \emph{Swift} satellites. Using \emph{Swift} data we show that a redshift--observation-time relation (log\,$Z$\,--\,log\,$T$) is consistent with both a peak-flux\,--\,observation time relation (log\,$P$\,--\,log\,$T$) and a standard log\,$N$\,--\,log\,$P$ brightness distribution. As the method depends only on rarer small-$z$ events, it is invariant to high-$z$ selection effects. We use the log\,$Z$\,--\,log\,$T$ relation to show that sub-luminous GRBs are a distinct population occurring at a higher rate of order $150^{+180}_{-90} \mathrm{Gpc}^{-3}\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. Our analysis suggests that GRB 060505 -- a relatively nearby GRB observed without any associated supernova -- is consistent with a sub-luminous population of bursts. Finally, we suggest that our relations can be used as a consistency test for some of the proposed GRB spectral energy correlations.
Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions in the universe and are mainly placed at very large redshifts, up to $z\simeq 9$. In this short review, we first discuss gamma-ray burst classification and morphological properties. We then report the likely relations between gamma-ray bursts and other astronomical objects, such as black holes, supernovae, neutron stars, etc., discussing in detail gamma-ray burst progenitors. We classify long and short gamma-ray bursts, working out their timescales, and introduce the standard fireball model. Afterwards, we focus on direct applications of gamma-…
Gamma-Ray Bursts are likely associated with a catastrophic energy release in stellar mass objects. Electromagnetic observations provide important, but indirect information on the progenitor. On the other hand, gravitational waves emitted from the central source, carry direct information on its nature. In this context, I give an overview of the multi-messenger study of gamma-ray bursts that can be carried out by using electromagnetic and gravitational wave observations. I also underline the importance of joint electromagnetic and gravitational wave searches, in the absence of a gamma-ray trigge…
By reaching through shrouding blastwaves, efficiently discovering off-axis events, and probing the central engine at work, gravitational wave (GW) observations will soon revolutionize the study of gamma-ray bursts. Already, analyses of GW data targeting gamma-ray bursts have helped constrain the central engines of selected events. Advanced GW detectors with significantly improved sensitivities are under construction. After outlining the GW emission mechanisms from gamma-ray burst progenitors (binary coalescences, stellar core collapses, magnetars, and others) that may be detectable with advanc…
Progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts are thought to be neutron stars coalescing with their companion black hole or neutron star, which are one of the main gravitational wave sources. We have devised a Bayesian framework for combining gamma-ray burst and gravitational wave information that allows us to probe short gamma-ray burst luminosities. We show that combined short gamma-ray burst and gravitational wave observations not only improve progenitor distance and inclination angle estimates, they also allow the isotropic luminosities of short gamma-ray bursts to be determined without the need f…
This paper provides an overview of the current state of the stripping model for short gamma-ray bursts. After the historical joint detection of the gravitational wave event GW170817 and the accompanying gamma-ray burst GRB170817A, the relation between short gamma-ray bursts and neutron star mergers has been reliably confirmed. We show that many properties of GRB170817A, which turned out to be peculiar in comparison with other short gamma-ray bursts, are naturally explained in the context of the stripping model, specifically, the time (1.7 s) between the peak of the gravitational wave signal an…
We offer the new type of calibration for gamma-ray bursts (GRB), in which some class of GRB can be marked and has common behavior. We name this behavior Smooth Optical Self Similar Emission (SOS Similar Emission) and identify this subclass of gamma-ray bursts with optical light curves described by a universal scaling function.
A new class of ultra-long duration (>10,000 s) gamma-ray bursts has recently been suggested. They may originate in the explosion of stars with much larger radii than normal long gamma-ray bursts or in the tidal disruptions of a star. No clear supernova had yet been associated with an ultra-long gamma-ray burst. Here we report that a supernova (2011kl) was associated with the ultra-long duration burst 111209A, at z=0.677. This supernova is more than 3 times more luminous than type Ic supernovae associated with long gamma-ray bursts, and its spectrum is distinctly different. The continuum slope …
I review the searches for gamma-ray bursts at very high redshift. Although the numbers of GRBs known at z>6 remain few, even small samples can provide information about early star and galaxy formation in the universe which is very hard to obtain by any other means.
The recent progress in the understanding the physical nature of neutron star equilibrium configurations and the first observational evidence of a genuinely short gamma-ray burst, GRB 090227B, allows to give an estimate of the gravitational waves versus the X and Gamma-ray emission in a short gamma-ray burst.
费米LAT观测到的大多数类星体的伽马射线光度都与自旋下降功率Edot成比例，即L_gamma（Edot x 10^33 erg/s）^{1/2}。然而，存在一个检测和几个上限，一个数量级或比这个趋势更微弱。我们描述了这些“亚发光”的伽马射线辐射，并讨论了这种情况下，这是一个方向的影响。在已知的12颗Edot>10^34 erg/s、d<2kpc的年轻射电巨星中，有几颗基本上是亚发光的。有限的可用几何约束有利于对齐的几何形状，这些天线，虽然没有一个对齐的情况是令人信服的。在这种情况下，从这样的亚发光体中检测到的GeV辐射可能是由于较低的高度，较低功率的加速器间隙。
Short gamma ray bursts have been observed a variety of galaxies types with varying angular offsets from the centre of their host galaxies. To investigate the properties of short gamma ray burst offsets, a sample of short gamma ray bursts with host galaxies has been gathered. Two formation channels proposed to explain the observed offsets of short gamma ray bursts from their host galaxies are discussed. The classification of short gamma ray bursts into these formation channels is demonstrated for short gamma ray bursts with host galaxies. The possibility of faint dwarf galaxies as host environm…
The field of gamma-ray burst astronomy arguably went through three decades of growing pains before reaching maturity. What development lessons can be learned for the adolescent field of fast radio burst astronomy?
We use a simple analytical model to derive a closed form expression for the bolometric light-curve of super-luminus supernovae (SLSNe) powered by a plastic collision between the fast ejecta from core collapse supernovae (SNe) of types Ib/c and IIn and slower massive circum-stellar shells, ejected during the late stage of the life of their progenitor stars preceding the SN explosion. We demonstrate that this expression reproduces well the bolometric luminosity of SLSNe with and without an observed gamma ray burst (GRB), and requires only a modest amount ($M < 0.1\,M_\odot$) of radioactive $^{56…
The metal rich globular cluster RZ 2109 in the massive Virgo elliptical galaxy NGC 4472 (M49) harbours the ultra luminous X-ray source XMMU 122939.7+075333. Previous studies showed that this source varies between bright and faint phases on timescales of just a few hours. Here, we report the discovery of two peculiar X-ray bursting events that last for about 8 and 3.5 hours separated by about 3 days. Such a recurring X-ray burst-like behaviour has never been observed before. We argue that type-I X-ray bursts or super bursts as well as outburst scenarios requiring a young stellar object are high…
Young, rapidly spinning magnetars are invoked as central engines behind a diverse set of transient astrophysical phenomena, including gamma-ray bursts (GRB), super-luminous supernovae (SLSNe), fast radio bursts (FRB), and binary neutron star (NS) mergers. However, a barrier to direct confirmation of the magnetar hypothesis is the challenge of directly observing non-thermal emission from the central engine at early times (when it is most powerful and thus detectable) due to the dense surrounding ejecta. We present CLOUDY calculations of the time-dependent evolution of the temperature and ioniza…
Recently, GRB 170817A was confirmed to be associated with GW 170817, which was produced by a neutron star - neutron star merger. It indicates that at least some short gamma-ray bursts come from binary neutron star mergers. Theoretically, it is widely accepted that short gamma-ray bursts can be produced by two distinctly different mechanisms, binary neutron star mergers and neutron star - black hole mergers. These two kinds of bursts should be different observationally due to their different trigger mechanisms. Motivated by this idea, we collect a universal data set constituted of 51 short gamm…
One of the most luminous explosions detected, gamma-ray bursts, especially the so-called long-duration bursts, most probably consist of an intrinsic core-collapse to a black hole inside a super massive star. We point out that this collapse alone will give a generic gravitational wave burst. It has been shown that the strength of this burst depends on the dimensionless spin parameter of the collapsing object. Under descent assumptions the gamma-ray burst's central engine powers the explosion electromagnetically due to the rotation of the newly formed black hole. We argue that the peak luminosit…
This Erratum modifies the original article entitled "Primordial black hole origin for thermal gamma ray bursts", which was published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 506, 806 (2021).
The Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) Gamma-ray burst experiment detected 318 gamma-ray bursts over about 14 years between 1978 and 1992 with near $4π$ coverage. This data set complements BATSE by determining the properties of the brightest gamma-ray bursts. PVO places a constrains on the slope of the bright end of the Log N-Log P distribution. The slope is -1.52$\pm 0.15$.
We demonstrate how pulse structures in Short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs), coupled with observations of GRB/GW 170817A, constrain the geometries of dying HMXRB systems composed of merging neutron stars.
Three years after the launch of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, both of its scientific instruments are operating perfectly and continuing to make breakthroughs in astrophysics, particle physics, and atmospheric science. I report here on the highlights of the scientific program of the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM).
We present a dissipative photospheric model for gamma-ray bursts where the usual Band peak around MeV energies arises as synchrotron emission from around the photosphere. We treat the initial acceleration in a general way and the GeV emission arises as the interaction of photospheric radiation and the shocked electrons at the deceleration radius. We show some applications of this model.
The upper limit on the flux of ultra high energy neutrinos from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) that was reported recently by the IceCube collaboration contradicts predictions based on the Fireball model of GRBs, but does not exclude GRBs as a main source of ultra-high energy cosmic rays.
The late afterglow of gamma-ray burst is believed to be due to progressive deceleration of the forward shock wave driven by the gamma-ray burst ejecta propagating in the interstellar medium. We study the dynamic effect of interstellar turbulence on shock wave propagation. It is shown that the shock wave decelerates more quickly than previously assumed without the turbulence. As an observational consequence, an earlier jet break will appear in the light curve of the forward shock wave. The scatter of the jet-corrected energy release for gamma-ray burst, inferred from the jet-break, may be partl…
Tiny violations of the Lorentz symmetry of relativity and the associated discrete CPT symmetry could emerge in a consistent theory of quantum gravity such as string theory. Recent evidence for linear polarization in gamma-ray bursts improves existing sensitivities to Lorentz and CPT violation involving photons by factors ranging from ten to a million.
Correlation analysis of gamma-ray burst coordinates and nearby stars, registered on 2008-2011, revealed 5 coincidences with angular accuracy better than 0.1 degree. The random probability is $7\times 10^{-7}$, so evidencing that coincident stars are indeed gamma-ray burst sources. The proposed method should be continued in order to provide their share in common balance of cosmic gamma-ray bursts.
Most gamma ray bursts are able to be explained using supernovae related phenomenon. Some measured results still lack compelling explanations and a contributory cause from nuclear criticality is proposed. This is shown to have general properties consistent with various known gamma ray burst properties. The galactic origin of fast rise exponential decay gamma ray bursts is considered a strong candidate for these types of events.
The peak time of optical afterglow may be used as a proxy to constrain the Lorentz factor Gamma of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) ejecta. We revisit this method by including bursts with optical observations that started when the afterglow flux was already decaying; these bursts can provide useful lower limits on Gamma. Combining all analyzed bursts in our sample, we find that the previously reported correlation between Gamma and the burst luminosity L_gamma does not hold. However, the data clearly shows a lower bound Gamma_min which increases with L_gamma. We suggest an explanation for this feature…
Gamma-ray emission in active galaxies is likely produced within the inner jet, or in the close vicinity of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at sub-parsec distances. Gamma rays have to pass through the surrounding massive stellar cluster which luminous stars can accidentally appear close to the observer's line of sight. In such a case, soft radiation of massive stars can create enough target for transient absorption of the gamma rays in multi-GeV to TeV energy range. We consider the effect of such stellar encounters on the gamma-ray spectrum produced within the massive stellar cluster surroun…
The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on-board the Fermi satellite detected emission above 20 MeV only in a small fraction of the long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) at 8 keV-40 MeV. Those bursts that were detected by the LAT were among the brightest GBM bursts. The emission detected by LAT seerms to be delayed respect to the one detected by the GBM. In this review I will show the main implications of these LAT observations on the GRB models and discuss the importance of a synergy between Fermi and other telescopes.
费米伽马射线太空望远镜（英语：Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope）的大面积望远镜（英语：Large Area Telescope）是一个对转换望远镜，对超过40个能量十年的伽马射线敏感，介于20 MeV和300 GeV之间。LAT与伽马射线暴监测器（GBM）-任务上的另一种仪器-协同作用，在研究伽马射线暴（GRB）方面，在光谱覆盖范围、有效面积和仪器死时间方面具有前所未有的灵敏度。我们将回顾GRB的Fermi-LAT观测的主要结果，介绍GeV能区GRB的主要性质。
The recently discovered rapid transient GN-z11-flash has been suggested to be the prompt-emission ultraviolet flash associated with a gamma-ray burst serendipitously exploding in the ultra-high-$z$ galaxy GN-z11. We here place the flash into the context of the early ultraviolet emission of gamma-ray bursts, and find it is in agreement with the luminosity distribution of these events.
Current models suggest gamma-ray bursts could be used as a way of probing Population III stars - the first stars in the early Universe. In this paper we use numerical simulations to demonstrate that late time radio observations of gamma-ray burst afterglows could provide a means of identifying bursts that originate from Population III stars, if these were highly massive, independently from their redshift. We then present the results from a pilot study using the Australia Telescope Compact Array at 17 GHz, designed to test the hypothesis that there may be Population III gamma-ray bursts amongst…
Gamma-ray bursts are flashes of light from distant exploding stars. Cube satellites that monitor photons across different energy bands are used to detect these bursts. There is a need for computationally efficient algorithms, able to run using the limited computational resource onboard a cube satellite, that can detect when gamma-ray bursts occur. Current algorithms are based on monitoring photon counts across a grid of different sizes of time window. We propose a new algorithm, which extends the recently developed FOCuS algorithm for online change detection to Poisson data. Our algorithm is m…
The binary neutron star merger responsible for the gravitational wave event, GW170817, strengthened the merger association with short-duration gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) following the detection of the SGRB counterpart, GRB 170817A. Here we consider the constraints on a population of local gamma-ray bursts with moderately short duration ($T_{90}<4 \textrm{ s}$) and within $d < 200 \textrm{ Mpc}$, that may have originated from similar compact binary mergers. Using well localised gamma-ray bursts from $\sim14.5 \textrm{ years}$ of Swift/Burst Alert Telescope monitoring, we find no events with high …
The observed association between supernovae and gamma-ray bursts represents a cornerstone in our understanding of the nature of gamma-ray bursts. The collapsar model provides a theoretical framework for this connection. A key element is the launch of a bi-polar jet (seen as a gamma-ray burst). The resulting hot cocoon disrupts the star while the 56Ni produced gives rise to radioactive heating of the ejecta, seen as a supernova. In this discussion paper I summarise the observational status of the supernova/gamma-ray burst connection in the context of the 'engine' picture of jet-driven supernova…
Compact binary system mergers are expected to generate gravitational radiation detectable by ground-based interferometers. A subset of these, the merger of a neutron star with another neutron star or a black hole, are also the most popular model for the production of short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) and the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) trigger on short GRBs (SGRBs) at rates that reflect their relative sky exposures, with the BAT detecting 10 per year compared to about 45 for GBM. We examine the SGRB populations detected by Swift BAT and Fermi GBM. We …
A Thesis Submitted to the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (supervisor: Prof. A. R. Rao)
Many different physical processes have been suggested to explain the prompt gamma-ray emission in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Although there are examples of both bursts with photospheric and synchrotron emission origins, these distinct spectral appearances have not been generalized to large samples of GRBs. Here, we search for signatures of the different emission mechanisms in the full Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope GBM catalogue. We use Gaussian Mixture Models to cluster bursts according to their parameters from the Band function ($α$, $β$, and $E_{pk}$) as well as their fluence and $T_{90}$. W…
The well-sampled afterglows of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) not associated with a supernova (SN) explosion, can be scaled down to a simple dimensionless universal formula, which describes well their temporal behavior. Such SN-less GRBs include short hard bursts (SHBs) and long SN-less GRBs. The universal temporal behavior of their afterglows is that expected from a pulsar wind nebula powered by the rotational energy loss of the newly born pulsar.
The 'jet-break' in the X-ray afterglow of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) appears to be correlated to other properties of the X-ray afterglow and the prompt gamma ray emission, but the correlations are at odds with those predicted by the conical fireball model of GRBs. The correlations are in good agreement, however, with those predicted by the Cannonball model of GRBs.
Gamma-ray burst sources appear to fulfill all the conditions for being efficient cosmic ray accelerators, and being extremely compact, are also expected to produce multi-GeV to PeV neutrinos. I review the basic model predictions for the expected neutrino fluxes in classical GRBs as well as in low luminosity and choked bursts, discussing the recent IceCube observational constraints and implications from the observed diffuse neutrino flux.
The canonball model, which unifies cosmic ray bursts (CRBs) and gamma ray bursts (GRBs), is used to predict the maximum isotropic equivalent gamma ray energy release in a GRB. The predicted maximum is based on the observed knee around 1 TeV in the energy spectrum of Galactic cosmic ray electrons, and on the Amati correlation in GRBs. Both were predicted by the cannonball model of CRBs and GRBs before their empirical discoveries. The predicted maximum agrees well with that concluded from up to date GRB observations.
