The separation of the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) into short/hard and long/soft subclasses, respectively, is well supported both theoretically and observationally. The long ones are coupled to supernovae type Ib/Ic - the short ones are connected to the merging of two neutron stars, where one or even both neutron stars can be substituted by black holes. These short GRBs - as merging binaries - can also serve as the sources of gravitation waves, and are observable as the recently detected macronovae. Since 1998 there are several statistical studies suggesting the existence of more than two subgroups. There can be a subgroup having an intermediate durations; there can be a subgroup with ultra-long durations; the long/soft subgroup itself can be divided into two subclasses with respect to the luminosity of GRBs. The authors with other collaborators provided several statistical studies in this topic. This field of the GRB-diversity is briefly surveyed in this contribution.
The historic first joint detection of both gravitational wave and electromagnetic emission from a binary neutron star merger cemented the association between short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) and compact object mergers, as well as providing a well sampled multi-wavelength light curve of a radioactive kilonova (KN) for the first time. Here we compare the optical and near-infrared light curves of this KN, AT2017gfo, to the counterparts of a sample of nearby (z < 0.5) SGRBs to characterize their diversity in terms of their brightness distribution. Although at similar epochs AT2017gfo appears fainter…
GRB 111209A is the longest ever recorded burst. This burst was detected by Swift and Konus-Wind, and we obtained TOO time from XMM-Newton as well as prompt data from TAROT. We made a common reduction using data from these instruments together with other ones. This allows for the first time a precise study at high signal-to-noise ratio of the prompt to afterglow transition. We show that several mechanisms are responsible of this phase. In its prompt phase, we show that its duration is longer than 20 000 seconds. This, combined with the fact that the burst fluence is among the top 5% of what is …
A Brief Review on the Statistical Properties of Fast Radio Bursts
Center for Gravitation and Cosmology, College of Physical Science and Technology, Yangzhou University(扬州大学物理科学与技术学院引力与宇宙学中心);Department of Physics, Chongqing University(重庆大学物理系)
Fast Radio Bursts are millisecond bursts of radio radiation at frequencies of about 1 GHz, recently discovered in pulsar surveys. They have not yet been definitively identified with any other astronomical object or phenomenon. The bursts are strongly dispersed, indicating passage through a high column density of low density plasma. The most economical interpretation is that this is the interglactic medium, indicating that FRB are at "cosmological" distances with redshifts in the range 0.3--1.3. Their inferred brightness temperatures are as high as $10^{37\,\circ}$K, implying coherent emission …
The past decade and a half has seen many interesting new developments in X-ray burst research, both observationally and theoretically. New phenomena were discovered, such as burst oscillations and superbursts, and new regimes of thermonuclear burning identified. An important driver of the research with present and future instrumentation in the coming years is the pursuit of fundamental neutron star parameters. However, several other more direct questions are also in dire need of an answer. For instance, how are superbursts ignited and why do burst oscillations exist in burst tails? We briefly …
The brief review and discussion of statement of some observational problems of gamma-ray bursts (GRB), GRB host galaxies and star forming at small and large redshifts: Are there similarities and differences between GRB hosts and the typical galaxy population - this is currently the main question for the study of GRB host galaxies. The direct connection between long-duration GRBs and massive stars explosions, GRBs and some puzzles of core-collapse supernovae are briefly discussed. On model-independent observational cosmological tests - GRB rate and star forming rate at high redshifts.
Short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) are widely believed to result from the mergers of compact binaries. This model predicts an afterglow that bears the characteristic signatures of a constant, low density medium, including a smooth prompt-afterglow transition, and a simple temporal evolution. However, these expectations are in conflict with observations for a non-negligible fraction of sGRB afterglows. In particular, the onset of the afterglow phase for some of these events appears to be delayed and, in addition, a few of them exhibit late- time rapid fading in their lightcurves. We show that these…
Binary driven hypernova (BdHN) models long gamma-ray burst (GRBs) as occurring in the binary systems involving a carbon-oxygen core (CO$_{\rm core}$) and a companion neutron star (NS) or a black hole (BH). This model, first proposed in 2012, succeeds and improves upon the fireshell model and the induced gravitational collapse (IGC) paradigm. After nearly a decade of development, the BdHN model has reached a nearly complete structure, explaining all the observables of long bursts into its theoretical framework, and has given a refined classification of long GRBs according to the original proper…
Active galactic nuclei, hosting supermassive black holes and launching relativistic jets, are the most numerous objects on the gamma-ray sky. At the other end of the mass scale, phenomena related to stellar mass black holes, in particular gamma-ray bursts and microquasars, are also seen on the gamma-ray sky. While all of them are thought to launch relativistic jets, the diversity even within each of these classes is enormous. In this review, I will discuss recent very high energy gamma-ray results that underline both the similarity of the black hole systems, as well as their diversity.
A generic synchrotron external shock model is the widely preferred paradigm used to interpret the broad-band afterglow data of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), including predicted observable signatures from a reverse shock which have been confirmed by observations. Investigations of the nature of the reverse shock emission can provide valuable insights into the intrinsic properties of the GRB ejecta. Here we briefly review the standard and the extended models of the reverse shock emission, discussing the connection between the theory and observations, including the implications of the latest observati…
Exceptional observational breakthroughs in the field of Gamma Ray Burst research are not paralleled by theoretical advances. In this review, based on the introductory talk given at the "The Shocking Universe" meeting, I argue that any present day model of GRBs, especially of Short type, is grossly incomplete. I will highlight various contradictions with observations that many models face and briefly mention a number of ideas that might or might not work. In particular, I will discuss (i) a possibility that early X-ray afterglows are coming from internal dissipation, and not from the forwards s…
An unusual Eddington-limited thermonuclear X-ray burst was detected from the accreting neutron star in 2S 0918-549 with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. The burst commenced with a brief (40 ms) precursor and maintained near-Eddington fluxes during the initial 77 s. These characteristics are indicative of a nova-like expulsion of a shell from the neutron star surface. Starting 122 s into the burst, the burst shows strong (87 +/- 1% peak-to-peak amplitude) achromatic fluctuations for 60 s. We speculate that the fluctuations are due to Thompson scattering by fully-ionized inhomogeneities in a res…
After the launch and successful beginning of operations of the FERMI satellite, the topics related to high-energy observations of gamma-ray bursts have obtained a considerable attention by the scientific community. Undoubtedly, the diagnostic power of high-energy observations in constraining the emission processes and the physical conditions of gamma-ray burst is relevant. We briefly discuss how gamma-ray burst observations with ground-based imaging array Cerenkov telescopes, in the GeV-TeV range, can compete and cooperate with FERMI observations, in the MeV-GeV range, to allow researchers to …
We have performed a systematic study of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), which have various values in the peak energy of the $νF_ν$ spectrum of the prompt emission, $E_{\rm peak}$, observed by \textsl{Swift}/BAT and \textsl{Fermi}/GBM, investigating their prompt and X-ray afterglow emissions. We cataloged the long-lasting GRBs observed by the \textsl{Swift} between 2004 December and 2014 February in 3 categories according to the classification by \citet{2008ApJ...679..570S}: X-Ray Flashes (XRFs), X-Ray Rich GRBs (XRRs), and Classical GRBs (C-GRBs). We then derived $E^{\rm obs}_{\rm peak}$, as well as …
We briefly review main observational properties of fast radio bursts (FRBs) and discuss two most popular hypothesis for the explanation of these enigmatic intense millisecond radio flashes. FRBs most probably originate on extragalactic distances, and their rate on the sky is about a few thousand per day with fluences above $\sim$~1~Jy~ms (or with fluxes larger than few tenths of Jy). Two leading scenarios describing these events include strong flares of magnetars and supergiant pulses of young radio pulsars with large rotational energy losses, correspondingly. At the moment, it is impossible t…
Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are unpredictable and brief flashes of gamma rays that occur about once a day in random locations in the sky. Since gamma rays do not penetrate the Earth's atmosphere, they are detected by satellites, which automatically trigger ground-based telescopes for follow-up observations at longer wavelengths. In this introduction to Gamma Ray Bursts we review how building a multi-wavelength picture of these events has revealed that they are the most energetic explosions since the Big Bang and are connected with stellar deaths in other galaxies. However, in spite of exceptional …
Context. Multi-wavelength observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows provide important information about the activity of their central engines and their environments. In particular, the short timescale variability, such as bumps and/or rebrightening features visible in the multi-wavelength light curves, is still poorly understood. Aims. We analyze the multi-wavelength observations of the GRB100219A afterglow at redshift 4.7. In particular, we attempt to identify the physical origin of the late achromatic flares/bumps detected in the X-ray and optical bands. Methods. We present ground-bas…
The Fermi observatory, with its Gamma-Ray Bursts monitor (GBM) and Large Area Telescope (LAT), is observing Gamma-ray Bursts with unprecedented spectral coverage and sensitivity, from ~10 keV to > 300 GeV. In the first 3 years of the mission it observed emission above 100 MeV from 35 GRBs, an order of magnitude gain with respect to previous observations in this energy range. In this paper we review the main results obtained on such sample, highlighting also the relationships with the low-energy features (as measured by the GBM), and with measurements from observatories at other wavelengths. We…
This brief report describes the search for gravitational-wave inspiral signals from short gamma-ray bursts. Since these events are probably created by the merger of two compact objects, a targeted search with a lower threshold can be made. The data around 22 short gamma-ray bursts have been analyzed.
Lasting anywhere from a few milliseconds to several minutes, GRBs shine hundreds of times brighter than a typical supernova, making them briefly the brightest source of cosmic gamma-ray photons in the observable Universe. This thesis focuses on 3 different aspects of GRBs: (1) The radiative mechanism of GRBs and their afterglows, i.e. the occurrence of thermal emission and the physical parameters we can determine through this emission. (2) Their host galaxies, using results from observations of GRB 121024A as a case study. (3) How they can be used to answer some of the larger astrophysical que…
Decades of improving data and extensive theoretical research have led to a popular model of gamma-ray bursts. According to this model, a catastrophic event in a stellar system results in the formation of a compact central engine, which releases a fraction of a solar rest-mass energy within seconds in the form of ultra-relativistic jets. Dissipation of the jets energy leads first to prompt gamma-ray emission and later to a long lasting afterglow. Here I summarize the introduction that I gave to the debate "where do we stand?" in the conference "The Shocking Universe" held in Venice. This is a v…
National Changhua University of Education(国立彰化师范大学);Kyoto University(京都大学);RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics (RAP)(理化学研究所先进光子学中心);NASA Goddard Space Flight Center(美国国家航空航天局戈达德太空飞行中心);University of Maryland, Baltimore County(马里兰大学巴尔的摩县分校);The George Washington University(乔治华盛顿大学);Haverford College(哈弗福德学院);University of Maryland, College Park(马里兰大学帕克分校);Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA/GSFC(NASA/戈达德太空飞行中心空间科学与技术探索研究中心);University of Cagliari(卡利亚里大学);Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, UPS-OMP, CNRS, CNES(天体物理学与行星学研究所以)
The spin-down energy of millisecond magnetars has been invoked to explain X-ray afterglow observations of a significant fraction of short and long gamma-ray bursts. Here, we extend models previously introduced in the literature, incorporating radiative losses with the spin down of a magnetar central engine through an arbitrary braking index. Combining this with a model for the tail of the prompt emission, we show that our model can better explain the data than millisecond-magnetar models without radiative losses or those that invoke spin down solely through vacuum dipole radiation. We find tha…
Since its successful launch in June 2008, the {\it Fermi} Gamma-ray Space Telescope has made important breakthroughs in the understanding of the Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) phenomemon. The combination of the GBM and the LAT instruments onboard the {\it Fermi} observatory has provided a wealth of information from its observations of GRBs over seven decades in energy. We present brief descriptions of the {\it Fermi} instruments and their capabilities for GRB science, and report highlights from {\it Fermi} observations of high-energy prompt and extended GRB emission. The main physical implications of t…
In this paper we give a brief review of our recent studies on the long and short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected Swift, in an effort to understand the puzzle of classifying GRBs. We consider that it is still an appealing conjecture that both long and short GRBs are drawn from the same parent sample by observational biases.
Thermonuclear X-ray bursts from accreting neutron stars power brief but strong irradiation of their surroundings, providing a unique way to study accretion physics. We analyze MAXI/GSC and Swift/XRT spectra of a day-long flash observed from IGR J17062-6143 in 2015. It is a rare case of recurring bursts at a low accretion luminosity of 0.15% Eddington. Spectra from MAXI, Chandra, and NuSTAR observations taken between the 2015 burst and the previous one in 2012 are used to determine the accretion column. We find it to be consistent with the burst ignition column of 5x10^10 g cm^-2, which indicat…
Although it has been established observationally beyond doubt that broad-line stripped envelope supernovae (SNe) of type Ic produce long duration gamma ray bursts (GRBs), that neutron star mergers produce short hard GRBs (SHBs), and that phase transition of neutron stars in high mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) may produce SN-Less GRBs, their production mechanism is still debated. The two leading theoretical models of GRBs and their afterglows, the fireball model and the cannonball model, have been widely confronted with the mounting observational data on GRBs and SHBs during the last two decades. …
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most luminous explosions in the Universe and are powered by ultra-relativistic jets. Their prompt $γ$-ray emission briefly outshines the rest of the $γ$-ray sky making them detectable from cosmological distances. It is followed by, and sometimes partially overlaps with, a similarly energetic but very broadband and longer-lasting afterglow emission. While most GRBs are detected below a few MeV, over a hundred were detected at high ($\gtrsim0.1\;$GeV) energies and several have now been observed up to tens of GeV with the \textit{Fermi} Large Area Telescope (LAT). …
Many distinct classes of high-energy variability have been observed in astrophysical sources, on a range of timescales. The widest range (spanning microseconds-decades) is found in accreting, stellar-mass compact objects, including neutron stars and black holes. Neutron stars are of particular observational interest, as they exhibit surface effects giving rise to phenomena (thermonuclear bursts and pulsations) not seen in black holes. Here we briefly review the present understanding of thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray bursts. These events are powered by an extensive chain of nuclear reactions, whi…
The connection between long GRBs and supernovae is now well established. I briefly review the evidence in favor of this connection and summarise where we are observationally. I also use a few events to exemplify what should be done and what type of data are needed. I also look at what we can learn from looking at SNe not associated with GRBs and see how GRBs fit into the broad picture of stellar explosions.
Thermonuclear bursts from slowly accreting neutron stars (NSs) have proven difficult to detect, yet they are potential probes of the thermal properties of the neutron star interior. During the first year of a systematic all-sky search for X-ray bursts using the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope we have detected 15 thermonuclear bursts from the NS low-mass X-ray binary 4U 0614+09, when it was accreting at nearly 1% of the Eddington limit. We measured an average burst recurrence time of 12+/-3 d (68% confidence interval) between March 2010 and March 2011, c…
The detection of optical re-brightenings and X-ray plateaus in the afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) challenges the generic external shock model. Recently, we have developed a numerical method to calculate the dynamic of the system consisting of a forward shock and a reverse shock. Here, we briefly review the applications of this method in the afterglow theory. By relating these diverse features to the central engines of GRBs, we find that the steep optical re-brightenings would be caused by the fall-back accretion of black holes, while the shallow optical re-brightenings are the consequen…
The follow-up of $γ$-ray bursts (GRBs) by the X-ray telescope (XRT, 0.3-10 keV) on board the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory led to the discovery of a shallow decay phase (the so-called plateau) of the X-ray emission in a good fraction of GRBs. This unexpected temporal behaviour does not fit the standard GRB afterglow expectation. Thus, in the last years, many models emerged, that invoke energy injection into the external shock, requiring long-lasting activity of the central engine of GRBs. We discuss a new alternative, comprehensive model: the plateau phase originates from the high latitude em…
We present observations of the afterglows and host galaxies of three short-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs): 100625A, 101219A and 110112A. We find that GRB 100625A occurred in a z=0.452 early-type galaxy with a stellar mass of 4.6e9 M_Sun and a stellar population age of 0.7 Gyr, and GRB 101219A originated in a star-forming galaxy at z=0.718 with a stellar mass of 1.4e9 M_Sun, a star formation rate of 16 M_Sun yr^-1, and a stellar population age of 50 Myr. We also report the discovery of the optical afterglow of GRB 110112A, which lacks a coincident host galaxy to i>26 mag and we cannot conclus…
Strongly-magnetized, rapidly-rotating neutron stars are contenders for the central engines of both long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) and hydrogen-poor super-luminous supernovae (SLSNe-I). Models for typical (~minute long) LGRBs invoke magnetars with high dipole magnetic fields (Bd > 1e15 G) and short spin-down times, while models for SLSNe-I invoke neutron stars with weaker fields and longer spin-down times of weeks. Here we identify a transition region in the space of Bd and birth period for which a magnetar can power both a long GRB and a luminous SN. In particular, we show that a 2 ms …
Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been found to be associated with broad-lined type-Ic supernovae (SNe), but only a handful of cases have been studied in detail. Prompted by the discovery of the exceptionally bright, nearby GRB130427A (redshift z=0.3399), we aim at characterising the properties of its associated SN2013cq. This is the first opportunity to test directly the progenitors of high-luminosity GRBs. We monitored the field of the Swift long duration GRB130427A using the 3.6-m TNG and the 8.2-m VLT during the time interval between 3.6 and 51.6 days after the burst. Photometric …
The brightest optical flash from a gamma-ray burst (GRB) was, briefly, a naked-eye object. Several other GRBs have produced optical transients only slightly fainter. We argue that, based upon the recently accumulated data from hundreds of GRB transients, many such optical events should have been visible to the unaided eye in the course of human history. The most likely repositories of such observations are historical records from the Orient, and we have located and discuss a number of candidates. We also consider the value of such observations, should any very likely ones be uncovered, to mode…
The most popular progenitor model for short duration Gamma-Ray bursts (sGRBs) is the merger of two compact objects. However, the short GRB population exhibit a certain diversity: some bursts display an extended emission (EE), continuing in soft $γ$-rays for a few hundreds of seconds post the initial short pulse. It is currently unclear whether the origin of such bursts is linked to compact object mergers. Within the merger hypothesis, the redshift ($z$) distribution of short GRBs is influenced by the merger delay time, i.e., time elapsed between the merger and the formation of the binary star …
Short duration Gamma-Ray Bursts are thought to originate from the coalescence of neutron stars in binary systems. They are detected as a brief ($<$ 2s), intense flash of gamma-ray radiation followed by a weaker, rapidly decreasing afterglow. They are expected to be detected by Advanced LIGO and Virgo when their sensitivity will be low enough. In a recent study we identified a population of short Gamma-Ray Bursts that are intrinsically faint and nearby. Here we provide evidence in favor of the existence of this new population that can hardly be reproduced with a model of field neutron star bina…
Cosmic radiation backgrounds are a constraint on life, and their distribution will affect the Galactic Habitable Zone. Life on Earth has developed in the context of these backgrounds, and characterizing event rates will elaborate the important influences. This in turn can be a base for comparison with other potential life-bearing planets. In this review we estimate the intensities and rates of occurrence of many kinds of strong radiation bursts by astrophysical entities ranging from gamma-ray bursts at cosmological distances to the Sun itself. Many of these present potential hazards to the bio…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most luminous electromagnetic burst in the Universe. They occur when a rapidly rotating massive star collapses or a binary neutron star merges. These events leave a newborn central compact object, either a black hole or neutron star, which launches relativistic jets that emit the luminous gamma-ray signals. These jets can accelerate non-thermal protons, which are expected to produce high-energy neutrinos via photohadronic interactions. This Chapter briefly summarizes the current physical picture of GRBs, and discusses neutrino emissions from GRBs, including both…
Gamma-ray bursts and their afterglows are thought to be produced by an ultra-relativistic jet. One of the most important open questions is the outflow composition: the energy may be carried out from the central source either as kinetic energy (of baryons and/or pairs), or in electromagnetic form (Poynting flux). While the total observable flux may be indistinguishable in both cases, its polarization properties are expected to differ markedly. The prompt emission and afterglow polarization are also a powerful diagnostic of the jet geometry. Again, with subtle and hardly detectable differences i…
Theoretically expected natures of a supernova driven by a wind/jet are discussed. Approximate analytical formulations are derived to clarify basic physical processes involved in the wind/jet-driven explosions, and it is shown that the explosion properties are characterized by the energy injection rate (Edot_iso) and the mass injection rate (Mdot_iso). To explain observations of SN 1998bw associated with Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) 980425, the following conditions are required: Edot_iso Mdot_iso > ~ 10^{51} erg M_sun s^{-2} and Edot_iso > ~ 2 x 10^{52} erg s^{-1} (if the wind Lorentz factor Gamma_w ~…
We study the spectrum of high frequency radiation emerging from mildly dissipative photospheres of long-duration gamma-ray burst outflows. Building on the results of recent numerical investigations, we assume that electrons are heated impulsively to mildly relativistic energies by either shocks or magnetic dissipation at Thomson optical depths of several and subsequently cool by inverse Compton, scattering off the thermal photons of the photosphere. We show that even in the absence of magnetic field and non-thermal leptons, inverse Compton scattering produces power-law tails that extend from t…
In this book-chapter we first briefly discuss some basic observational issues related to what a GRB host galaxy is (whether they are operationally well defined as a class) and sample completeness. We then describe some of the early studies of GRB hosts starting with statistical studies of upper limits done prior to the first detections, the first host detection after the BeppoSAX breakthrough and leading up to the current Swift era. Finally, we discuss the status of efforts to construct a more complete sample of GRBs based on Swift and end with an outlook. We only consider the host galaxies of…
We present a preliminary data release from our multi-year campaign at Keck Observatory to study the host galaxies of a large sample of Swift-era gamma-ray bursts via multi-color ground-based optical imaging and spectroscopy. With over 160 targets observed to date (and almost 100 host detections, most of which have not previously been reported in the literature) our effort represents the broadest GRB host survey to date. While targeting was heterogeneous, our observations span the known diversity of GRBs including short bursts, long bursts, spectrally soft GRBs (XRFs), ultra-energetic GRBs, X-r…
It is widely accepted that the prompt transient signal in the 10 keV - 10 GeV band from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) arises from multiple shocks internal to the ultra-relativistic expansion. The detailed understanding of the dissipation and accompanying acceleration at these shocks is a currently topical subject. This paper explores the relationship between GRB prompt emission spectra and the electron (or ion) acceleration properties at the relativistic shocks that pertain to GRB models. The focus is on the array of possible high-energy power-law indices in accelerated populations, highlighting how…
This is a brief review on the first Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB) optical identifications - GRB host galaxies and Star Forming Rate (SFR) at relatively small redshifts (z), on the metallicities of GRB hosts, the similarities and differences between GRB hosts and galaxies at larger z, and on the SFR and GRB rate (GRBR) at high z. Evidences of a direct connection between long-duration GRBs and massive stars explosions (like Core-Collapse Super-Novae - CCSNe) are presented. Is there a fast decrease in SFR up to z ~10? Some unsolved problems related to GRBs are discussed: about the high-z GRB host galaxi…
The gravitational-wave detectors LIGO and Virgo together with their electromagnetic partner facilities have transformed the modus operandi in which we seek information about the Universe. The first ever-observed neutron-star merger---GW170817---confirmed the association of short gamma-ray bursts with neutron-star mergers and the production of heavy (r-process) elements. Based on recent theoretical and observational developments, I briefly present and discuss a conjecture, namely that compact accretion disks in both short and long gamma-ray bursts synthesize most of the heavy r-process elements…
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the brightest sources in the universe, emit mostly in the hard X-ray energy band and have been detected at redshifts up to ~8.1. Thus, they are in principle very powerful probes for cosmology. I shortly review the researches aimed to use GRBs for the measurement of cosmological parameters, which are mainly based on the correlation between spectral peak photon energy and total radiated energy or luminosity. In particular, based on an enriched sample of 95 GRBs, I will provide an update of the analysis by Amati et al. (2008) aimed at extracting information on Omega_M …