ABSTRACT We present MCRaT, a Monte Carlo Radiation Transfer code for self-consistently computing the light curves and spectra of the photospheric emission from relativistic, unmagnetized jets. We ...apply MCRaT to a relativistic hydrodynamic simulation of a long-duration gamma-ray burst jet, and present the resulting light curves and time-dependent spectra for observers at various angles from the jet axis. We compare our results to observational results and find that photospheric emission is a viable model to explain the prompt phase of long-duration gamma-ray bursts at the peak frequency and above, but faces challenges when reproducing the flat spectrum below the peak frequency. We finally discuss possible limitations of these results both in terms of the hydrodynamics and the radiation transfer and how these limitations could affect the conclusions that we present.
ABSTRACT Short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are explosions of cosmic origins believed to be associated with the merger of two compact objects, either two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole ...(BH). The presence of at least one neutron star has long been thought to be an essential element of the model: its tidal disruption provides the needed baryonic material whose rapid accretion onto the post-merger BH powers the burst. The recent tentative detection by the Fermi satellite of a short GRB in association with the gravitational wave signal GW150914 produced by the merger of two BHs has challenged this standard paradigm. Here, we show that the evolution of two high-mass, low-metallicity stars with main-sequence rotational speeds a few tens of percent of the critical speed eventually undergoing a weak supernova explosion can produce a short GRB. The outer layers of the envelope of the last exploding star remain bound and circularize at large radii. With time, the disk cools and becomes neutral, suppressing the magnetorotational instability, and hence the viscosity. The disk remains "long-lived dead" until tidal torques and shocks during the pre-merger phase heat it up and re-ignite accretion, rapidly consuming the disk and powering the short GRB.
The discovery of GW170817, the merger of a binary neutron star (NS) triggered by a gravitational wave detection by LIGO and Virgo, has opened a new window of exploration in the physics of NSs and ...their cosmological role. Among the important quantities to measure are the mass and velocity of the ejecta produced by the tidally disrupted NSs and the delay-if any-between the merger and the launching of a relativistic jet. These encode information on the equation of state of the NS, the nature of the merger remnant, and the jet launching mechanism, as well as yielding an estimate of the mass available for r-process nucleosynthesis. Here we derive analytic estimates for the structure of jets expanding in environments with different density, velocity, and radial extent. We compute the jet-cocoon structure and the properties of the broadband afterglow emission as a function of the ejecta mass, velocity, and time delay between merger and launch of the jet. We show that modeling of the afterglow light curve can constrain the ejecta properties and, in turn, the physics of neutron density matter. Our results increase the interpretative power of electromagnetic observations by allowing for a direct connection with the merger physics.
Abstract
Although gamma ray bursts (GRBs) have been detected for many decades, the lack of knowledge regarding the radiation mechanism that produces the energetic flash of radiation, or prompt ...emission, from these events has prevented the full use of GRBs as probes of high-energy astrophysical processes. While there are multiple models that attempt to describe the prompt emission, each model can be tuned to account for observed GRB characteristics in the gamma and X-ray energy bands. One energy range that has not been fully explored for the purpose of prompt emission model comparison is that of the optical band, especially with regard to polarization. Here, we use an improved Monte Carlo radiation transfer code to calculate the expected photospheric optical and gamma-ray polarization signatures (Π
opt
and Π
γ
, respectively) from a set of two relativistic hydrodynamic long GRB simulations, which emulate a constant and variable jet. We find that time-resolved Π
opt
can be large (∼75%) while time-integrated Π
opt
can be smaller due to integration over the asymmetries in the GRB jet where optical photons originate; Π
γ
follows a similar evolution as Π
opt
with smaller polarization degrees. We also show that Π
opt
and Π
γ
agree well with observations in each energy range. Additionally, we make predictions for the expected polarization of GRBs based on their location within the Yonetoku relationship. While improvements can be made to our analyses and predictions, they exhibit the insight that global radiative transfer simulations of GRB jets can provide with respect to current and future observations.
We study the ensemble of linear polarization measurements in the optical afterglows of long-duration gamma-ray bursts. We assume a non-sideways-expanding top-hat jet geometry and use the relatively ...large number of measurements under the assumption that they represent a statistically unbiased sample. This allows us to constrain the ratio between the maximum predicted polarization and the measured one, which is an indicator of the geometry of the magnetic field in the downstream region of the external shock. We find that the measured polarization is substantially suppressed with respect to the maximum possible for either a completely ordered magnetic field parallel to the shock normal or to a field that is entirely contained in the shock plane. The measured polarization is limited, on average, to between 25% and 30% of the maximum theoretically possible value. This reduction requires the perpendicular component of the magnetic field to be dominant in energy with respect to the component parallel to the shock front, as expected for a shock-generated and/or shock-compressed field. We find, however, that the data only marginally support the assumption of a simple top-hat jet, pointing toward a more complex geometry for the outflow.
Abstract
The disks of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), traditionally studied as feeders of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at their centers, are also hosts to massive stars and hence their neutron ...star (NS) and black hole (BH) remnants. Migration traps and gas torques in these disks favor binary formation and enhance the rate of compact object mergers. In these environments both long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) from the death of massive stars and short GRBs from NS–NS to NS–BH mergers are expected. However, their properties in the environment of AGN disks have never been studied. Here we show that GRBs in AGN disks can display unique features, owing to the unusual relative position of the shocks that characterize the burst evolution and the Thomson photosphere of the AGN disk. In dense environments, for example, a relativistic reverse shock develops early, likely powering the prompt emission instead of internal shocks. The transient’s time evolution is also compressed, yielding afterglow emission that is brighter and may peak earlier than for GRBs in the interstellar medium. Additionally, in regions of the disk that are sufficiently dense and extended, the light curves are dominated by diffusion, since the fireball remains inside the disk photosphere throughout the entire evolution. These diffusion-dominated transients emerge on timescales of days in disks around SMBHs of ∼ 10
6
M
⊙
to years for SMBHs of ∼ 10
8
M
⊙
. Finally, a large fraction of events, especially in AGNs with SMBHs ≲ 10
7
M
⊙
, display time-variable absorption in the X-ray band.
The detection of GW170817, it’s extensive multi-wavelength follow-up campaign, and the large amount of theoretical development and interpretation that followed, have resulted in a significant step ...forward in the understanding of the binary neutron star merger phenomenon as a whole. One of its aspects is seeing the merger as a progenitor of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRB), which will be the subject of this review. On the one hand, GW170817 observations have confirmed some theoretical expectations, exemplified by the confirmation that binary neutron star mergers are the progenitors of SGRBs. In addition, the multimessenger nature of GW170817 has allowed for gathering of unprecedented data, such as the trigger time of the merger, the delay with which the gamma-ray photons were detected, and the brightening afterglow of an off-axis event. All together, the incomparable richness of the data from GW170817 has allowed us to paint a fairly detailed picture of at least one SGRB. I will detail what we learned, what new questions have arisen, and the perspectives for answering them when a sample of GW170817-comparable events have been studied.
Abstract
A complete understanding of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has been difficult to achieve, due to our incomplete knowledge of the radiation mechanism that is responsible for producing the prompt ...emission. This emission, which is detected in the first tens of seconds of the GRB, is typically dominated by hard X-ray and gamma-ray photons, although there have also been a few dozen prompt optical detections. These optical detections have the potential to discriminate between plausible prompt emission models, such as the photospheric and synchrotron shock models. In this work, we use an improved MCRaT code, which includes cyclo-synchrotron emission and absorption, to conduct radiative transfer calculations from optical to gamma-ray energies under the photospheric model. The calculations are conducted using a set of two-dimensional relativistic hydrodynamic long GRB jet simulations, consisting of a constant and a variable jet. We predict the correlations between the optical and gamma-ray light curves as functions of observer angle and jet variability, and find that there should be extremely dim optical prompt precursors for large viewing angles. Additionally, the detected optical emission originates from dense regions of the outflow, such as shock interfaces and the jet-cocoon interface. Our results also show that the photospheric model is unable to account for the current set of optical prompt detections that have been made and therefore additional radiative mechanisms are needed to explain these prompt optical observations. These findings show the importance of conducting global radiative transfer simulations using hydrodynamically calculated jet structures.
We present the analysis of photospheric emission for a set of hydrodynamic simulations of long duration gamma-ray burst jets from massive compact stars. The results are obtained by using the Monte ...Carlo Radiation Transfer code (MCRaT) to simulate thermal photons scattering through the collimated outflows. MCRaT allows us to study explicitly the time evolution of the photosphere within the photospheric region, as well as the gradual decoupling of the photon and matter counterparts of the jet. The results of the radiation transfer simulations are also used to construct light curves and time-resolved spectra at various viewing angles, which are then used to make comparisons with observed data and outline the agreement and strain points between the photospheric model and long duration gamma-ray burst observations. We find that our fitted time-resolved spectral Band β parameters are in agreement with observations, even though we do not consider the effects of nonthermal particles. Finally, the results are found to be consistent with the Yonetoku correlation, but bear some strain with the Amati correlation.
Ultra-long gamma-ray bursts (ULGRBs) are a distinct class of GRBs characterized by durations of several thousands of seconds, about two orders of magnitude longer than those of standard long GRBs ...(LGRBs). The driving engine of these events has not yet been uncovered, and ideas range from magnetars, to tidal disruption events, to extended massive stars, such as blue super giants (BSG). BSGs, a possible endpoint of stellar evolution, are attractive for the relatively long freefall times of their envelopes, allowing accretion to power a long-lasting central engine. At the same time, their large radial extension poses a challenge to the emergence of a jet. Here, we perform an end-to-end simulation aimed at assessing the viability of BSGs as ULGRB progenitors. The evolution to the core-collapse of a BSG star model is calculated with the MESA code. We then compute the accretion rate for the fraction of envelope material with enough angular momentum to circularize and form an accretion disk, and input the corresponding power into a jet, which we evolve through the star envelope with the FLASH code. Our simulation shows that the jet can emerge, and the resulting light curves resemble those observed in ULGRBs, with durations T90 ranging from 4000 s to 104 s, depending on the viewing angle.
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