GRB990123: The Case for Saturated Comptonization
arXiv:astro-ph/9903438 · doi:10.1086/312100
Abstract
The recent simultaneous detection of optical, X-ray and gamma-ray photons from GRB990123 during the burst provides the first broadband multi-wavelength characterization of the burst spectrum and evolution. Here we show that a direct correlation exists between the time-varying gamma-ray spectral shape and the prompt optical emission. This combined with the unique signatures of the time-resolved spectra of GRB990123 convincingly supports earlier predictions of the saturated Comptonization model. Contrary to other suggestions, we find that the entire continuum from optical to gamma-rays can be generated from a single source of leptons (electrons and pairs). The optical flux only appears to lag the gamma-ray flux due to the high initial Thomson depth of the plasma. Once the plasma has completely thinned out, the late time afterglow behavior of our model is the same as in standard models based on the Blandford-McKee (1976) solution.
10 pages, including 3 figures and 1 table, submitted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters
References in corpus (7)
- Predictions for The Very Early Afterglow and The Optical Flash
- The Synchrotron Shock Model Confronts a `Line of Death' in the BATSE Gamma-Ray Burst Data
- Low Frequency Spectra of Gamma-Ray Bursts
- Evolution of the Low-Energy Photon Spectra in Gamma-Ray Bursts
- Fireballs in the Galactic Halo and -Ray Bursts
- Comptonization signatures in the rapid aperiodic variability of Galactic black-hole candidates
- Spectral Hardness Decay with Respect to Fluence in BATSE Gamma-Ray Bursts
Cited by in corpus (15)
- Theories of Gamma-Ray Bursts
- Steep Slopes and Preferred Breaks in GRB Spectra: the Role of Photospheres and Comptonization
- A Link between Prompt Optical and Prompt Gamma-Ray Emission in Gamma-Ray Bursts
- Constraints on the emission mechanisms of gamma-ray bursts
- Fireballs Loading and the Blast Wave Model of Gamma Ray Bursts
- Observations of GRB 990123 by the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory
- Optical Flash of GRB 990123: constraints on the physical parameter of the reverse shock
- Exploring Broadband GRB Behavior During gamma-ray Emission
- Cosmic Gamma-ray Bursts. Lectures Presented at XXVII ITEP Winter School
- Exact solution for the Green's function describing time-dependent thermal Comptonization
- Flash-Heating of Circumstellar Clouds by Gamma Ray Bursts
- Bigger Bursts From Merging Neutron Stars
- Time lag between prompt optical emission and gamma-rays in GRBs
- Delayed Onset and Fast Rise of Prompt Optical-UV Emission from Gamma-Ray Bursts in Molecular Clouds
- An analytic function fit to Monte-Carlo X- and gamma-ray spectra from Thomson thick thermal/nonthermal hybrid plasmas