Observational Limits on Inverse Compton Processes in GRBs

Abstract

Inverse Compton (IC) scattering is one of two viable mechanisms that can produce the prompt gamma-ray emission in Gamma-Ray Bursts. IC requires low energy seed photons and a population of relativistic electrons that upscatter them. The same electrons can upscatter the gamma-ray photons to even higher energies in the TeV range. Using the current upper limits on the prompt optical emission we show here that under general conservative assumption the IC mechanism suffers from an "energy crisis". Namely, IC will over-produce a very high energy component that would carry much more energy than the observed prompt gamma-rays. Our analysis is general and it makes no assumptions on the specific mechanism that produces the relativistic electrons population.

15 pages, 7 figures, MNRAS accepted

References in corpus (5)

• A general scheme for modeling gamma-ray burst prompt emission
• High energy gamma-ray emission from Gamma-Ray Bursts -- before GLAST
• The prompt, high resolution spectroscopic view of the "naked-eye" GRB080319B
• The Dark Side of ROTSE-III Prompt GRB Observations
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Cited by in corpus (4)

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• Expected high energy emission from GRB 080319B and origins of the GeV emission of GRBs 080514B, 080916C and 081024B
• Interpretation and implication of the non-detection of GeV spectrum excess by Fermi gamma-ray Space Telescope in most GRBs
• Prompt GeV emission in the synchrotron self-Compton model for Gamma-Ray Bursts