paper

Time-dependent photospheric radiative transfer in structured GRB jets: spectral evolution and polarization diagnostics

arXiv:2603.09066 · doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ae7a55

Abstract

Photospheric emission from relativistic gamma-ray burst (GRB) jets is a promising mechanism for producing the Band-like spectra observed in the prompt phase, yet the connections between jet structure, dissipation location, and polarization signatures remain unclear.We investigate time-dependent photospheric radiation transfer in structured relativistic jets by coupling two-dimensional axisymmetric special relativistic hydrodynamic (SRHD) simulations with Monte Carlo photon propagation.Photon escape and subphotospheric dissipation are characterized using the residual line-of-sight optical depth tau_out evaluated along each photon trajectory, allowing a direction-dependent treatment of photon decoupling in structured jets. The radiative transfer includes Klein-Nishina Compton scattering and polarization evolution using the Mueller matrix formalism.We perform a systematic parameter study exploring the effects of viewing angle, electron-positron pair loading (Zpm), and the optical-depth window of subphotospheric dissipation. The model produces time-resolved spectra, peak-energy evolution Epk(t), Band parameters, polarization degree Pi(E,t), and last-scattering statistics.We find that jet angular structure and the geometry of the line-of-sight optical depth strongly regulate spectral evolution and polarization signatures. The dissipation depth and pair loading jointly control the stability of Epk, the formation of high-energy spectral tails, and the energy dependence of polarization. These results provide quantitative predictions for GRB prompt-emission spectra and polarization that can be tested with current and upcoming high-energy polarimeters.

Published in The Astrophysical Journal; revised to match the published version

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