Radiative striped wind model for gamma-ray bursts

Abstract

In this paper we revisit the striped wind model in which the wind is accelerated by magnetic reconnection. In our treatment, radiation is included as an independent component, and two scenarios are considered. In the first one, radiation cannot stream efficiently through the reconnection layer, while the second scenario assumes that radiation is homogeneous in the striped wind. We show how these two assumptions affect the dynamics. In particular, we find that the asymptotic radial evolution of the Lorentz factor is not strongly modified whether radiation can stream through the reconnection layer or not. On the other hand, we show that the width, density and temperature of the reconnection layer are strongly dependent on these assumptions. We then apply the model to the gamma-ray burst context and find that photons cannot diffuse efficiently through the reconnection layer below radius $r_{\mathrm{D}}^{\Delta }\sim 10^{10.5}$ cm, which is about an order of magnitude below the photospheric radius. Above $r_{\mathrm{D}}^{\Delta }$, the dynamics asymptotes to the solution of the scenario in which radiation can stream through the reconnection layer. As a result, the density of the current sheet increases sharply, providing efficient photon production by the Bremsstrahlung process which could have profound influence on the emerging spectrum. This effect might provide a solution to the soft photon problem in GRBs.

22 pages, 3 figures, submitted to MNRAS

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• Kinetic Simulations of Radiative Magnetic Reconnection in the Coronae of Accreting Black Holes
• GRB and blazar jets shining through their stripes
• Prompt Gamma Ray Burst emission from gradual magnetic dissipation
• Constraints on millisecond magnetars as the engines of prompt emission in gamma-ray bursts
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• The Limited Contribution of Low- and High-Luminosity Gamma-Ray Bursts to Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays
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• Constraining Magnetization of Gamma-Ray Bursts Outflows using Prompt Emission Fluence
• Bethe-Heitler signature in proton synchrotron models for gamma-ray bursts
• Is magnetically dominated outflow required to explain GRBs?
• Inductive acceleration of ions in Poynting-flux dominated outflows
• Plasmas in Gamma-Ray Bursts: particle acceleration, magnetic fields, radiative Processes and environments