Publications (14)64.78 Total impact
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Article: GRB 091208B: First Detection of the Optical Polarization in Early Forward Shock Emission of a Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglow
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ABSTRACT: We report that the optical polarization in the afterglow of GRB 091208B is measured at t = 149 - 706 s after the burst trigger, and the polarization degree is P = 10.4% +/- 2.5%. The optical light curve at this time shows a power-law decay with index -0.75 +/- 0.02, which is interpreted as the forward shock synchrotron emission, and thus this is the first detection of the early-time optical polarization in the forward shock (rather than that in the reverse shock reported by Steele et al. (2009). This detection disfavors the afterglow model in which the magnetic fields in the emission region are random on the plasma skin depth scales, such as amplified by the plasma instabilities, e.g., Weibel instability. We suggest that the fields are amplified by the magnetohydrodynamic instabilities, which would be tested by future observations of the temporal changes of the polarization degrees and angles for other bursts.05/2012; -
Article: A Photosphere‐Internal Shock Model of Fermi∕LAT GRBs
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ABSTRACT: Unsteady baryonic gamma‐ray burst (GRB) jets release variable photospheric emission and can have internal shocks occurring far above the photosphere. We generically formulate a photospheric emission model of GRBs including Compton up‐scattered photospheric (UP) emission off the electrons (and positrons) in the internal shocks, and find that the photospheric emission may correspond to the traditional (Band) component at ≲1 MeV and the UP emission to the high‐energy emission observed by Fermi∕LAT for some GRBs at ≳10 MeV. The two components can be separate in the spectrum in some cases or can mimic a smooth broad Band spectrum in other cases. We apply our formulation to the well‐studied long and short LAT GRBs, GRB 080916C, GRB 090902B, and GRB 090510, and find reasonable parameters for fitting the time‐binned spectra. The observed delays of the high‐energy emission with respect to the MeV emission which are large compared to the variability times are unlikely to be due to simple kinematic effects of a non‐evolving jet. These delays may instead be attributed to the temporal evolution of the physical parameters of the jet, and thus the delay timescales could provide a potential tool for investigating the structures of GRB jets themselves and their progenitors. The difference of the delay timescales of long and short GRBs inferred from the Fermi data might be due to the differences in the progenitors of long and short GRBs.AIP Conference Proceedings. 08/2011; 1358(1):98-101. -
Article: Photosphere–internal shock model of gamma‐ray bursts: case studies of Fermi/LAT bursts
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ABSTRACT: Radially inhomogeneous gamma-ray burst (GRB) jets release variable photospheric emission and can have internal shocks occurring above the photosphere. We generically formulate a photospheric emission model of GRBs including Compton up-scattered photospheric (UP) emission off the electrons (and positrons) in the internal shocks, and find that the photospheric emission may correspond to the traditional (band) component at ≲1 MeV and the UP emission to the high-energy emission observed by Fermi/LAT for some GRBs at ≳10 MeV. The two components can be separate from each other in the spectrum in some cases or can mimic a smooth broad-band spectrum in other cases. We apply our formulation to the well-studied long and short LAT GRBs, GRB 080916C, GRB 090902B and GRB 090510, and typically find reasonable parameters for fitting the time-binned spectra, although fine-tuning of several parameters is required. The observed delays of the high-energy emission with respect to the MeV emission which are large compared to the variability times are unlikely to be due to simple kinematic effects of a non-evolving jet. These delays may instead be attributed to the temporal evolution of the physical parameters of the jet, and thus the delay time-scales could provide a potential tool for investigating the structures of GRB jets themselves and their progenitors. The difference of the delay time-scales of long and short GRBs inferred from the Fermi data might be due to the differences in the progenitors of long and short GRBs. Some other properties and consequences of this model are discussed, including temporal correlations among the prompt optical, the soft X-ray and the distinct high-energy component as well as the band component.Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 07/2011; 415(2):1663 - 1680. · 4.90 Impact Factor -
Article: A Photometric Redshift of z ~ 9.4 for GRB 090429B
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ABSTRACT: Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) serve as powerful probes of the early universe, with their luminous afterglows revealing the locations and physical properties of star-forming galaxies at the highest redshifts, and potentially locating first-generation (Population III) stars. Since GRB afterglows have intrinsically very simple spectra, they allow robust redshifts from low signal-to-noise spectroscopy, or photometry. Here we present a photometric redshift of z ~ 9.4 for the Swift detected GRB 090429B based on deep observations with Gemini-North, the Very Large Telescope, and the GRB Optical and Near-infrared Detector. Assuming a Small Magellanic Cloud dust law (which has been found in a majority of GRB sight lines), the 90% likelihood range for the redshift is 9.06 < z < 9.52, although there is a low-probability tail toward somewhat lower redshifts. Adopting Milky Way or Large Magellanic Cloud dust laws leads to very similar conclusions, while a Maiolino law does allow somewhat lower redshift solutions, though in all cases the most likely redshift is found to be z > 7. The non-detection of the host galaxy to deep limits (Y(AB) ~ 28, which would correspond roughly to 0.001L* at z = 1) in our late-time optical and infrared observations with the Hubble Space Telescope strongly supports the extreme-redshift origin of GRB 090429B, since we would expect to have detected any low-z galaxy, even if it were highly dusty. Finally, the energetics of GRB 090429B are comparable to those of other GRBs and suggest that its progenitor is not greatly different from those of lower redshift bursts.The Astrophysical Journal 06/2011; 736(1):7. · 6.02 Impact Factor -
Article: The afterglow and host galaxy of GRB 090205: evidence for a Ly-alpha emitter at z=4.65
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ABSTRACT: Gamma-ray bursts have been proved to be detectable up to distances much larger than any other astrophysical object, providing the most effective way, complementary to ordinary surveys, to study the high redshift universe. To this end, we present here the results of an observational campaign devoted to the study of the high-z GRB 090205. We carried out optical/NIR spectroscopy and imaging of GRB 090205 with the ESO-VLT starting from hours after the event up to several days later to detect the host galaxy. We compared the results obtained from our optical/NIR observations with the available Swift high-energy data of this burst. Our observational campaign led to the detection of the optical afterglow and host galaxy of GRB 090205 and to the first measure of its redshift, z=4.65. Similar to other, recent high-z GRBs, GRB 090205 has a short duration in the rest-frame with T_{90,rf}=1.6 s, which suggests the possibility that it might belong to the short GRBs class. The X-ray afterglow of GRB 090205 shows a complex and interesting behaviour with a possible rebrightening at 500-1000s from the trigger time and late flaring activity. Photometric observations of the GRB 090205 host galaxy argue in favor of a starburst galaxy with a stellar population younger than ~ 150 Myr. Moreover, the metallicity of Z > 0.27 Z_Sun derived from the GRB afterglow spectrum is among the highest derived from GRB afterglow measurement at high-z, suggesting that the burst occurred in a rather enriched envirorment. Finally, a detailed analysis of the afterglow spectrum shows the existence of a line corresponding to Lyman-alpha emission at the redshift of the burst. GRB 090205 is thus hosted in a typical Lyman-alpha emitter (LAE) at z=4.65. This makes the GRB 090205 host the farthest GRB host galaxy, spectroscopically confirmed, detected to date. Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics; 8 pages, 7 figures06/2010; -
Article: Swift and Fermi Observations of the Early Afterglow of the Short Gamma-Ray Burst 090510
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ABSTRACT: We present the observations of GRB090510 performed by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope and the Swift observatory. This is a bright, short burst that shows an extended emission detected in the GeV range. Furthermore, its optical emission initially rises, a feature so far observed only in long bursts, while the X-ray flux shows an initial shallow decrease, followed by a steeper decay. This exceptional behavior enables us to investigate the physical properties of the gamma-ray burst outflow, poorly known in short bursts. We discuss internal and external shock models for the broadband energy emission of this object.The Astrophysical Journal Letters 01/2010; 709(2):L146. · 5.53 Impact Factor -
Article: A limit on the variation of the speed of light arising from quantum gravity effects.
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ABSTRACT: A cornerstone of Einstein's special relativity is Lorentz invariance-the postulate that all observers measure exactly the same speed of light in vacuum, independent of photon-energy. While special relativity assumes that there is no fundamental length-scale associated with such invariance, there is a fundamental scale (the Planck scale, l(Planck) approximately 1.62 x 10(-33) cm or E(Planck) = M(Planck)c(2) approximately 1.22 x 10(19) GeV), at which quantum effects are expected to strongly affect the nature of space-time. There is great interest in the (not yet validated) idea that Lorentz invariance might break near the Planck scale. A key test of such violation of Lorentz invariance is a possible variation of photon speed with energy. Even a tiny variation in photon speed, when accumulated over cosmological light-travel times, may be revealed by observing sharp features in gamma-ray burst (GRB) light-curves. Here we report the detection of emission up to approximately 31 GeV from the distant and short GRB 090510. We find no evidence for the violation of Lorentz invariance, and place a lower limit of 1.2E(Planck) on the scale of a linear energy dependence (or an inverse wavelength dependence), subject to reasonable assumptions about the emission (equivalently we have an upper limit of l(Planck)/1.2 on the length scale of the effect). Our results disfavour quantum-gravity theories in which the quantum nature of space-time on a very small scale linearly alters the speed of light.Nature 10/2009; 462(7271):331-4. · 36.28 Impact Factor -
Article: GRB 080913 at Redshift 6.7
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ABSTRACT: We report on the detection by Swift of GRB 080913, and subsequent optical/near-infrared follow-up observations by GROND, which led to the discovery of its optical/NIR afterglow and the recognition of its high-z nature via the detection of a spectral break between the i' and z' bands. Spectroscopy obtained at the ESO-VLT revealed a continuum extending down to λ = 9400 Å, and zero flux for 7500 Å<λ < 9400 Å, which we interpret as the onset of a Gunn-Peterson trough at z = 6.695± 0.025 (95.5% confidence level), making GRB 080913 the highest-redshift gamma-ray burst (GRB) to date, and more distant than the highest-redshift QSO. We note that many redshift indicators that are based on promptly available burst or afterglow properties have failed for GRB 080913. We report on our follow-up campaign and compare the properties of GRB 080913 with bursts at lower redshift. In particular, since the afterglow of this burst is fainter than typical for GRBs, we show that 2 m class telescopes can identify most high-redshift GRBs.The Astrophysical Journal 03/2009; 693(2):1610. · 6.02 Impact Factor -
Article: Swift Discovery of Gamma-Ray Bursts without a Jet Break Feature in Their X-Ray Afterglows
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ABSTRACT: We analyze Swift gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and X-ray afterglows for three GRBs with spectroscopic redshift determinations: GRB 050401, XRF 050416a, and GRB 050525a. We find that the relation between spectral peak energy and isotropic energy of prompt emissions (the Amati relation) is consistent with that for the bursts observed in the pre-Swift era. However, we find that the X-ray afterglow light curves, which extend up to 10-70 days, show no sign of the jet break that is expected in the standard framework of collimated outflows. We do so by showing that none of the X-ray afterglow light curves in our sample satisfy the relation between the spectral and temporal indices that is predicted for the phase after jet break. The jet break time can be predicted by inverting the tight empirical relation between the peak energy of the spectrum and the collimation-corrected energy of the prompt emission (the Ghirlanda relation). We find that there are no temporal breaks within the predicted time intervals in X-ray band. This requires either that the Ghirlanda relation has a larger scatter than previously thought, that the temporal break in X-rays is masked by some additional source of X-ray emission, or that it does not happen for some unknown reason.The Astrophysical Journal 12/2008; 657(1):359. · 6.02 Impact Factor -
Article: POET: POlarimeters for Energetic Transients
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ABSTRACT: POET (Polarimeters for Energetic Transients) is a Small Explorer mission concept proposed to NASA in January 2008. The principal scientific goal of POET is to measure GRB polarization between 2 and 500 keV. The payload consists of two wide FoV instruments: a Low Energy Polarimeter (LEP) capable of polarization measurements in the energy range from 2-15 keV and a high energy polarimeter (Gamma-Ray Polarimeter Experiment -- GRAPE) that will measure polarization in the 60-500 keV energy range. Spectra will be measured from 2 keV up to 1 MeV. The POET spacecraft provides a zenith-pointed platform for maximizing the exposure to deep space. Spacecraft rotation will provide a means of effectively dealing with systematics in the polarization response. POET will provide sufficient sensitivity and sky coverage to measure statistically significant polarization for up to 100 GRBs in a two-year mission. Polarization data will also be obtained for solar flares, pulsars and other sources of astronomical interest.10/2008; -
Article: A Possible New Distance Indicator -Correlation between the duration and the X-ray luminosity of the shallow decay phase of Gamma Ray Bursts-
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ABSTRACT: We investigated the characteristics of the shallow decay phase in the early Xray afterglows of GRBs observed by Swift X-Ray Telescope (XRT) during the period of January 2005 to December 2006. We found that the intrinsic break time at the shallow-to-normal decay transition in the X-ray light curve Tbrk^0 is moderately well correlated with the isotropic X-ray luminosity in the end of the shallow decay phase (LX,end) as Tbrk^0 = (9.39+/-0.64)*10^3s(LX,end/10^47 ergs/s)^(-0.71+/-0.03), while Tbrk^0 is weakly correlated with the isotropic gamma-ray energy of the prompt emission Egamma,iso. Using Tbrk^0 - LX,end relation we have determined the pseudo redshifts of 33 GRBs. We compared the pseudo redshifts of 11 GRBs with measured redshifts and found the rms error to be 0.17 in log z. From this pseudo redshift, we estimate that ~15% of the Swift GRBs have z > 5. The advantages of this distance indicator is that (1) it requires only X-ray afterglow data while other methods such as Amati and Yonetoku correlations require the peak energy (Ep) of the prompt emission, (2) the redshift is uniquely determined without redshift degeneracies unlike the Amati correlation, and (3) the redshift is estimated in advance of deep follow-ups so that possible high redshift GRBs might be selected for detailed observations.12/2007; -
Article: A unified model of short and long gamma-ray bursts, X-ray--rich gamma-ray bursts, and X-ray flashes
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ABSTRACT: We propose a possible unified model of short and long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), X-ray-rich GRBs, and X-ray flashes. The jet of a GRB is assumed to consist of many emitting sub-shells, that is called sub-jet emissions (i.e., an inhomogeneous jet model). The multiplicity of the sub-jets along a line of sight ns is an important parameter. If ns is large (≫ 1) the event looks like a long GRB, while if n s = 1, the event looks like a short GRB. Finally, when n s = 0, the event looks like an X-ray flash or an X-ray-rich GRB.Il Nuovo Cimento C 04/2005; 28:463. -
Article: A limit on the variation of the speed of light arising from quantum gravity effects
Nature, v.462, 331-334 (2009). -
Article: GRB polarimetry with POET
C. Meegan, C. Kouveliotou, N. Gehrels: Gamma-Ray Bursts, American Institute of Physics, 64-66 (2009).
Top co-authors
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Institutions
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2009–2011
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Pennsylvania State University
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
University Park, MD, USA
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2008
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Kyoto University
- Department of Physics II
Kyoto, Kyoto-fu, Japan
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