Discerning the radiative dissipation mechanism for prompt emission in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) requires detailed spectroscopic modeling that straddles the {nu}F{sub {nu}} peak in the 100 keV-1 MeV ...range. Historically, empirical fits such as the popular Band function have been employed with considerable success in interpreting the observations. While extrapolations of the Band parameters can provide some physical insight into the emission mechanisms responsible for GRBs, these inferences do not provide a unique way of discerning between models. By fitting physical models directly, this degeneracy can be broken, eliminating the need for empirical functions; our analysis here offers a first step in this direction. One of the oldest, and leading, theoretical ideas for the production of the prompt signal is the synchrotron shock model. Here we explore the applicability of this model to a bright Fermi gamma-ray burst monitor (GBM) burst with a simple temporal structure, GRB 090820A. Our investigation implements, for the first time, thermal and non-thermal synchrotron emissivities in the RMFIT forward-folding spectral analysis software often used in GBM burst studies. We find that these synchrotron emissivities, together with a blackbody shape, provide at least as good a match to the data as the Band GRB spectral fitting function. This success is achieved in both time-integrated and time-resolved spectral fits.
At redshift z = 4.618, GRB 220101A is the most distant gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected by Fermi/LAT to date. It is also a very energetic event, with an equivalent isotropic energy of ...\(3.6\times10^{54}\) erg. We jointly analyzed the Fermi/GBM and LAT observations of GRB 220101A with two independent approaches and found a significant spectral break at sub-100 MeV energies during the prompt emission. The fast variability of the emission suggests that this spectral attenuation is caused by internal opacity to pair creation. Regardless of the nature of the emission processes assumed in the spectral analysis, we infer a moderate value for the jet Lorentz factor, \(\Gamma\sim110\), and find that all of the high-energy emission was produced above and near the photosphere, at a distance of \(\sim10^{14}\) cm from the central engine. We compare these results with the four other LAT-detected GRBs with similar properties.
HERMES (High Energy Rapid Modular Ensemble of Satellites) pathfinder is an in-orbit demonstration consisting of a constellation of six 3U nano-satellites hosting simple but innovative detectors for ...the monitoring of cosmic high-energy transients. The main objective of HERMES Pathfinder is to prove that accurate position of high-energy cosmic transients can be obtained using miniaturized hardware. The transient position is obtained by studying the delay time of arrival of the signal to different detectors hosted by nano-satellites on low Earth orbits. To this purpose, the goal is to achive an overall accuracy of a fraction of a micro-second. In this context, we need to develop novel tools to fully exploit the future scientific data output of HERMES Pathfinder. In this paper, we introduce a new framework to assess the background count rate of a space-born, high energy detector; a key step towards the identification of faint astrophysical transients. We employ a Neural Network (NN) to estimate the background lightcurves on different timescales. Subsequently, we employ a fast change-point and anomaly detection technique to isolate observation segments where statistically significant excesses in the observed count rate relative to the background estimate exist. We test the new software on archival data from the NASA Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM), which has a collecting area and background level of the same order of magnitude to those of HERMES Pathfinder. The NN performances are discussed and analyzed over period of both high and low solar activity. We were able to confirm events in the Fermi/GBM catalog and found events, not present in Fermi/GBM database, that could be attributed to Solar Flares, Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes, Gamma-Ray Bursts, Galactic X-ray flash. Seven of these are selected and analyzed further, providing an estimate of localisation and a tentative classification.
The Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) will significantly augment the science return from the Fermi Observatory in the study of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The primary objective of GBM is to extend the ...energy range over which bursts are observed downward from the energy range of the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on Fermi into the hard X-ray range where extensive previous data sets exist. A secondary objective is to compute burst locations onboard to allow re-orienting the spacecraft so that the LAT can observe delayed emission from bright bursts. GBM uses an array of 12 sodium iodide scintillators and two bismuth germanate scintillators to detect gamma rays from {approx}8 keV to {approx}40 MeV over the full unocculted sky. The onboard trigger threshold is {approx}0.7 photons cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} (50-300 keV, 1 s peak). GBM generates onboard triggers for {approx}250 GRBs per year.
In 2018, the Fermi mission celebrated its first decade of operation. In this time, the Large Area Telescope (LAT) has been very successful in detecting the high-energy emission (>100 MeV) from ...Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The analysis of particularly remarkable events - such as GRB 080916C, GRB 090510 and GRB 130427A - has been presented in dedicated publications. Here we present the results of a new systematic search for high-energy emission from the full sample of GRBs detected in 10 years by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor, as well as Swift, AGILE, Integral and IPN bursts, featuring a detection efficiency more than 50\%\ better than previous works, and returning 186 detections during 10 years of LAT observations. This milestone marks a vast improvement from the 35 events contained in the first LAT GRB catalog (covering the first 3 years of Fermi operations). We assess the characteristics of the GRB population at high energy with unprecedented sensitivity, covering aspects such as temporal properties, energetics and spectral index of the high-energy emission. Finally, we show how the LAT observations can be used to inform theory, in particular the prospects for very high-energy emission.
We present the characterization of the new Frontend Electronics (FEE) developed for the Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT) camera of the CTA experiment. The new FEE is based on a new ...Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) intended to read-out arrays of Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) for low-level light detection down to the single photoelectron, called SMART (SiPM Multichannel ASIC for high Resolution Cherenkov Telescopes). The analog channel is composed of a high speed path with programmable gain and pole-zero filter designed for photon-counting. An external fast digitizer can be used for the photon-counting analysis. A slow path allows the measurement of the mean SiPM current, sampled by an internal 10-bit ADC. We present the characterization results obtained when coupling the SMART to a 16 SiPM matrix produced by Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK). Results in terms of charge spectrum, signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range will be presented. The SMART ASIC was then coupled to the SCT readout electronics based on the TARGET ASICs, able to digitize waveforms at a frequency of 1GS/s and to generate trigger signals. In this work, we further present the preliminary characterization obtained on the full FEE chain.
GRB 221009A, The BOAT Burns, Eric; Svinkin, Dmitry; Fenimore, Edward ...
arXiv.org,
03/2024
Paper, Journal Article
Open access
GRB 221009A has been referred to as the Brightest Of All Time (the BOAT). We investigate the veracity of this statement by comparing it with a half century of prompt gamma-ray burst observations. ...This burst is the brightest ever detected by the measures of peak flux and fluence. Unexpectedly, GRB 221009A has the highest isotropic-equivalent total energy ever identified, while the peak luminosity is at the \(\sim99\)th percentile of the known distribution. We explore how such a burst can be powered and discuss potential implications for ultra-long and high-redshift gamma-ray bursts. By geometric extrapolation of the total fluence and peak flux distributions GRB 221009A appears to be a once in 10,000 year event. Thus, while it almost certainly not the BOAT over all of cosmic history, it may be the brightest gamma-ray burst since human civilization began.
