Testing the Gamma-Ray Burst Pulse Start Conjecture

Abstract

We test the hypothesis that prompt gamma-ray burst pulse emission starts simultaneously at all energies (the Pulse Start Conjecture). Our analysis, using a sample of BATSE bursts observed with four channel, 64-ms data and performed using a pulse fit model, generally supports this hypothesis for the Long GRB class, although a few discrepant pulses belong to bursts observed during times characterized by low signal-to-noise, hidden pulses, and/or significant pulse overlap. The typical uncertainty in making this statement is < 0.4 s for pulses in Long GRBs (and < 0.2 s for 40% of the pulses) and perhaps < 0.1 s for pulses in Short GRBs. When considered along with the Epk decline found in GRB pulse evolution, this result implies that energy is injected at the beginning of each and every GRB pulse, and the subsequent spectral evolution, including the pulse peak intensity, represents radiated energy losses from this initial injection.

34 pages, 17 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

References in corpus (5)

• The Hubble Diagram to Redshift >6 from 69 Gamma-Ray Bursts
• Non-linear Least Squares Fitting in IDL with MPFIT
• Correlations Between Lag, Luminosity, and Duration in Gamma-ray Burst Pulses
• The $E_p$ Evolutionary Slope within the Decay Phase of "FRED" Gamma-ray Burst Pulses
• Correlations between Lag, Duration, Peak Luminosity, Hardness, and Asymmetry in Long GRB Pulses

Cited by in corpus (13)

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• Unification of Pulses in Long and Short Gamma-Ray Bursts: Evidence from Pulse Properties and their Correlations
• The Minimum Variability Time Scale and its Relation to Pulse Profiles of Fermi GRBs
• A Further Test of Lorentz Violation from the Rest-Frame Spectral Lags of Gamma-Ray Bursts
• Timing properties of gamma-ray bursts detected by SPI-ACS detector on board of INTEGRAL
• Time-Reversed Gamma-Ray Burst Light Curve Characteristics as Transitions between Subluminal and Superluminal Motion
• Spectral Lag Relations in GRB Pulses Detected with HETE-2
• Smoke and Mirrors: Signal-to-Noise and Time-Reversed Structures in Gamma-Ray Burst Pulse Light Curves
• The Hurst Exponent of Fermi GRBs
• Extension of an Exponential Light Curve GRB Pulse Model Across Energy Bands
• Hardness Test of GRB 950830 as a Gravitationally Lensed Echo
• A Tight Three-parameter Correlation and Related Classification on Gamma-Ray Bursts
• How Temporal Symmetry Defines Morphology in BATSE Gamma-Ray Burst Pulse Light Curves