Abstract
We present the results of a systematic search and analysis of GRBs detected by the Astrorivelatore Gamma ad Immagini LEggero (AGILE) MiniCALorimeter (MCAL; 0.4–100 MeV) over a time frame of ...13 yr, from 2007 to 2020 November. The MCAL GRB sample consists of 503 bursts triggered by MCAL, 394 of which were fully detected onboard with high time resolution. The sample consists of about 44% short GRBs and 56% long GRBs. In addition, 109 bursts triggered partial MCAL onboard data acquisitions, providing further detections that can be used for joint analyses or triangulations. More than 90% of these GRBs were also detected by the AGILE Scientific RateMeters (RMs), providing simultaneous observations between 20 keV and 100 MeV. We performed spectral analysis of these events in the 0.4–50 MeV energy range. We could fit the time-integrated spectrum of 258 GRBs with a single power-law model, resulting in a mean photon index 〈
β
〉of−2.3. Among them, 43 bursts could also be fitted with a Band model, with peak energy above 400 keV, resulting in a mean low-energy photon index 〈
α
〉 = −0.6, a mean high-energy photon index 〈
β
〉 = −2.5, and a mean peak energy 〈
E
p
〉 = 640 keV. The AGILE MCAL GRB sample mostly consists of hard-spectrum GRBs, with a large fraction of short-duration events. We discuss properties and features of the MCAL bursts, whose detections can be used to perform joint broad-band analysis with other missions, and to provide insights on the high-energy component of the prompt emission in the tens of mega electron volt energy range.
The well-known Crab Nebula is at the center of the SN1054 supernova remnant. It consists of a rotationally powered pulsar interacting with a surrounding nebula through a relativistic particle wind. ...The emissions originating from the pulsar and nebula have been considered to be essentially stable. Here, we report the detection of strong gamma-ray (100 mega-electron volts to 10 giga-electron volts) flares observed by the AGILE satellite in September 2010 and October 2007. In both cases, the total gamma-ray flux increased by a factor of three compared with the non-flaring flux. The flare luminosity and short time scale favor an origin near the pulsar, and we discuss Chandra Observatory x-ray and Hubble Space Telescope optical follow-up observations of the nebula. Our observations challenge standard models of nebular emission and require power-law acceleration by shock-driven plasma wave turbulence within an approximately 1-day time scale.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
ABSTRACT We report the results of an extensive search through the AGILE data for a gamma-ray counterpart to the LIGO gravitational-wave (GW) event GW150914. Currently in spinning mode, AGILE has the ...potential of cover 80% of the sky with its gamma-ray instrument, more than 100 times a day. It turns out that AGILE came within a minute of the event time of observing the accessible GW150914 localization region. Interestingly, the gamma-ray detector exposed ∼65% of this region during the 100 s time intervals centered at −100 and +300 s from the event time. We determine a 2 flux upper limit in the band 50 MeV-10 GeV, UL = 1.9 × 10−8 erg cm−2 s−1, obtained ∼300 s after the event. The timing of this measurement is the fastest ever obtained for GW150914, and significantly constrains the electromagnetic emission of a possible high-energy counterpart. We also carried out a search for a gamma-ray precursor and delayed emission over five timescales ranging from minutes to days: in particular, we obtained an optimal exposure during the interval −150/−30 s. In all these observations, we do not detect a significant signal associated with GW150914. We do not reveal the weak transient source reported by Fermi-GBM 0.4 s after the event time. However, even though a gamma-ray counterpart of the GW150914 event was not detected, the prospects for future AGILE observations of GW sources are decidedly promising.
First 10 Months of TGF Observations by ASIM Østgaard, N.; Neubert, T.; Reglero, V. ...
Journal of geophysical research. Atmospheres,
27 December 2019, Volume:
124, Issue:
24
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The Atmosphere‐Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) was launched to the International Space Station on 2 April 2018. The ASIM payload consists of two main instruments, the Modular X‐ray and Gamma‐ray ...Sensor (MXGS) for imaging and spectral analysis of Terrestrial Gamma‐ray Flashes (TGFs) and the Modular Multi‐spectral Imaging Array for detection, imaging, and spectral analysis of Transient Luminous Events and lightning. ASIM is the first space mission designed for simultaneous observations of Transient Luminous Events, TGFs, and optical lightning. During the first 10 months of operation (2 June 2018 to 1 April 2019) the MXGS has observed 217 TGFs. In this paper we report several unprecedented measurements and new scientific results obtained by ASIM during this period: (1) simultaneous TGF observations by Fermi Gamma‐ray Burst Monitor and ASIM MXGS revealing the very good detection capability of ASIM MXGS and showing substructures in the TGF, (2) TGFs and Elves produced during the same lightning flash and even simultaneously have been observed, (3) first imaging of TGFs giving a unique source location, (4) strong statistical support for TGFs being produced during the upward propagation of a leader just before a large current pulse heats up the channel and emits a strong optical pulse, and (5) the t50 duration of TGFs observed from space is shorter than previously reported.
Key Points
Simultaneous measurements of TGF by two spacecraft are presented
Simultaneous measurements of TGF and Elve are not rare coincidence
Imaging of TGF is presented
The sequence of TGF and main optical lightning pulse is resolved
TGFs observed from space have shorter duration than previously reported
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
We report the AGILE observations of GRB 220101A, which took place at the beginning of 2022 January 1 and was recognized as one of the most energetic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) ever detected ...since their discovery. The AGILE satellite acquired interesting data concerning the prompt phase of this burst, providing an overall temporal and spectral description of the event in a wide energy range, from tens of kiloelectronvolts to tens of megaelectronvolts. Dividing the prompt emission into three main intervals, we notice an interesting spectral evolution, featuring a notable hardening of the spectrum in the central part of the burst. The average fluxes encountered in the different time intervals are relatively moderate, with respect to those of other remarkable bursts, and the overall fluence exhibits a quite ordinary value among the GRBs detected by MCAL. However, GRB 220101A is the second farthest event detected by AGILE, and the burst with the highest isotropic equivalent energy of the entire MCAL GRB sample, releasing
E
iso
= 2.54 × 10
54
erg and exhibiting an isotropic luminosity of
L
iso
= 2.34 × 10
52
erg s
−1
(both in the 400 keV–10 MeV energy range). We also analyzed the first 10
6
s of the afterglow phase, using the publicly available Swift-XRT data, carrying out a theoretical analysis of the afterglow, based on the forward shock model. We notice that GRB 220101A is with high probability surrounded by a wind-like density medium, and that the energy carried by the initial shock shall be a fraction of the total
E
iso
, presumably near ∼50%.
GRB 190114C represents a breakthrough for the physics of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), being the first GRB with delayed emission above 300 GeV, as reported by MAGIC. We present in this paper the ...sub-MeV/MeV data of the prompt and early afterglow emissions of GRB 190114C, as detected by AGILE and Konus-Wind, in the 20 keV-100 MeV energy range. The first stages of the burst exhibit multiple emission components, associated with an interesting spectral evolution. The first 2 s of the prompt emission can be described by a single "Band-like" spectral component. The successive 4 s show the presence of an additional high-energy spectral component, which quickly evolves into a "hard-flat" component of the F spectrum, extending up to 10-100 MeV and likely produced by inverse Compton radiation, whose onset and evolution are clearly shown in our data. After this phase, the F spectrum evolves into a "V shape," showing the persistence and spectral hardening of the additional high-energy component in substantial agreement with Fermi and Swift results. We also analyze the first ∼200 s of the early afterglow that show a reflaring episode near T0 + 15 s. We identify a new, so-far-unnoticed flux temporal break near T0 + 100 s, which is detected in hard X-rays by both Konus-Wind and INTEGRAL/SPI-ACS. We find this break incompatible with the commonly assumed adiabatic evolution of a fireball in a constant-density medium. We interpret this break as a consequence of radiative evolution of the early afterglow from a fireball expanding in a wind-like circumburst medium.
ABSTRACT
We report on detailed multiwavelength observations and analysis of the very bright and long GRB 210619B, detected by the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor installed on the International ...Space Station and the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on-board the Fermi mission. Our main goal is to understand the radiation mechanisms and jet composition of GRB 210619B. With a measured redshift of z = 1.937, we find that GRB 210619B falls within the 10 most luminous bursts observed by Fermi so far. The energy-resolved prompt emission light curve of GRB 210619B exhibits an extremely bright hard emission pulse followed by softer/longer emission pulses. The low-energy photon index (αpt) values obtained using the time-resolved spectral analysis of the burst suggest a transition between the thermal (during harder pulse) to non-thermal (during softer pulse) outflow. We examine the correlation between spectral parameters and find that both peak energy and αpt exhibit the flux tracking pattern. The late time broad-band photometric data set can be explained within the framework of the external forward shock model with νm < νc < νx (where νm, νc, and νx are the synchrotron peak, cooling-break, and X-ray frequencies, respectively) spectral regime supporting a rarely observed hard electron energy index (p < 2). We find moderate values of host extinction of E(B − V) = 0.14 ± 0.01 mag for the small magellanic cloud extinction law. In addition, we also report late-time optical observations with the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio de Canarias placing deep upper limits for the host galaxy (z = 1.937), favouring a faint, dwarf host for the burst.
At the end of March 2015 the onboard software configuration of the Astrorivelatore Gamma a Immagini Leggero (AGILE) satellite was modified in order to disable the veto signal of the anticoincidence ...shield for the minicalorimeter instrument. The motivation for such a change was the understanding that the dead time induced by the anticoincidence prevented the detection of a large fraction of Terrestrial Gamma‐Ray Flashes (TGFs). The configuration change was highly successful resulting in an increase of one order of magnitude in TGF detection rate. As expected, the largest fraction of the new events has short duration (<100 μs), and part of them has simultaneous association with lightning sferics detected by the World Wide Lightning Location Network. The new configuration provides the largest TGF detection rate surface density (TGFs/km2/yr) to date, opening prospects for improved correlation studies with lightning and atmospheric parameters on short spatial and temporal scales along the equatorial region.
Key Points
Tenfold improvement in TGF detection rate by AGILE is obtained after a major configuration change
The sample is dead time‐free, with TGF durations as short as 20 μs
The relationship between TGF duration and likelihood of association with lightning is confirmed
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
We report the detection by the Astrorivelatore Gamma a Immagini Leggero (AGILE) satellite of terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) obtained with the minicalorimeter (MCAL) detector operating in the ...energy range 0.3–100 MeV. We select events typically lasting a few milliseconds with spectral and directional selections consistent with the TGF characteristics previously reported by other space missions. During the period 1 June 2008 to 31 March 2009 we detect 34 high‐confidence events showing millisecond durations and a geographical distribution peaked over continental Africa and Southeast Asia. For the first time, AGILE‐MCAL detects photons associated with TGF events up to 40 MeV. We determine the cumulative spectral properties of the spectrum in the range 0.5–40 MeV, which can be effectively described by a Bremsstrahlung spectrum. We find that both the TGF cumulative spectral properties and their geographical distribution are in good agreement with the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) results.
The accuracy of Monte Carlo simulations in reproducing the scientific performance of space telescopes (e.g., angular resolution) is mandatory for a correct design of the mission. A brand-new Monte ...Carlo simulator of the Astrorivelatore Gamma ad Immagini LEggero (AGILE)/Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) space telescope, AGILESim, is built using the customizable Bologna Geant4 Multi-Mission Simulator (BoGEMMS) architecture and the latest Geant4 library to reproduce the instrument performance of the AGILE/GRID instrument. The Monte Carlo simulation output is digitized in the BoGEMMS postprocessing pipeline, according to the instrument electronic readout logic, then converted into the onboard data handling format, and finally analyzed by the standard mission on-ground reconstruction pipeline, including the Kalman filter, as a real observation in space. In this paper we focus on the scientific validation of AGILESim, performed by reproducing (i) the conversion efficiency of the tracker planes, (ii) the tracker charge readout distribution measured by the on-ground assembly, integration, and verification activity, and (iii) the point-spread function of in-flight observations of the Vela pulsar in the 100 MeV-1 GeV energy range. We measure an in-flight angular resolution (full width at half-maximum) for Vela-like point sources of and in the 100-300 and 300-1000 MeV energy bands, respectively. The successful cross-comparison of the simulation results with the AGILE on-ground and in-space performance validates the BoGEMMS framework for its application to future gamma-ray trackers (e.g., e-ASTROGAM and AMEGO).
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