Some Implications of inverse-Compton Scattering of Hot Cocoon Radiation by relativistic jets in Gamma-Ray Bursts

Abstract

Long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB) relativistic jets are surrounded by hot cocoons which confine jets during their punch out from the progenitor star. These cocoons are copious sources of X-ray photons that can be and are inverse-Compton (IC) scattered to MeV--GeV energies by electrons in the relativistic jet. We provide detailed estimates for IC flux resulting from various interactions between X-ray photons and the relativistic jet, and describe what we can learn about GRB jets and progenitor stars from the detection (or an upper limit) of these IC scattered photons.

26 pages 7 figures (comments most welcome)

References in corpus (6)

• The First Survey of X-ray Flares from Gamma Ray Bursts Observed by Swift: Temporal Properties and Morphology
• Discovery of the nearby long, soft GRB 100316D with an associated supernova
• Early-Time Photometry and Spectroscopy of the Fast Evolving SN 2006AJ Associated with GRB 060218
• Angular Energy Distribution of Collapsar-Jets
• Spectroscopic evidence for SN 2010ma associated with GRB 101219B
• Comptonization signatures in the prompt emission of Gamma Ray Bursts

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• Thermal and non-thermal emission from the cocoon of a gamma-ray burst jet
• Probing Massive Stars Around Gamma-Ray Burst Progenitors