arXiv subjects

Arnon Dar

Publications and source records attributed to Arnon Dar.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Misaligned And Alien Planets From Explosive Death Of Stars

Exoplanets whose orbit is misaligned with the spin of their host star could have originated from high-speed gas blobs, which are observed in multitudes in nearby supernova remnants and planetary nebulae. These blobs grow in mass and slow down in the interstellar medium (ISM) by mass accretion and cool by radiation. If their mass exceeds the Jeans mass, they collapse into hot giant gas planets. Most of the 'missing baryons' in galaxies could have been swept into such free-floating objects, which could perturb stellar planetary systems, kick bound planets into misaligned orbits or be captured themselves into misaligned orbits. The uncollapsed ones can then collapse or be tidally disrupted into a tilted gas disk where formation of misaligned planets can take place. Giant gas planets free floating in the Galactic ISM may be detected by their microlensing effects or by deep photometry if they are hot. The uncollapsed gas blobs may produce the observed radio scintillations of comact extragalactic radio sources such as quasars and gamma ray bursts.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2011

Have the missing cosmic baryons been found?

The angular power spectrum and polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB), the relative abundances of primordial hydrogen, deuterium and helium isotopes, and the large-scale structure of the universe all indicate that 4.5% of the current mass density of the universe consists of baryons. However, only a small fraction of these baryons can be accounted for in stars and gas inside galaxies, galaxy groups and galaxy clusters, and in spectral-line absorbing gas in the intergalactic medium (IGM). Too hot to show up in Lyman-absorption, too cool to cause detectable spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background radiation, and too diffused to emit detectable X-rays, about 90% of the cosmic baryons remain missing in the local universe (redshift z~0). Here, we report on prevalent, isotropic, source independent, and fairly uniform soft X-ray absorption along the lines of sight to high-z gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and quasars. It has the magnitude, redshift and energy dependence that are expected from a hot IGM that contains the missing cosmological baryons and has a mean metallicity similar to that in the intracluster medium (ICM) of galaxy clusters.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Can the soft X-ray opacity towards high redshift sources probe the missing baryons?

Observations with the Swift satellite of X-ray afterglows of more than a hundred gamma ray bursts (GRBs) with known redshift reveal ubiquitous soft X-ray absorption. The directly measured optical depth τat a given observed energy is found to be constant on average at redshift z > 2, i.e., <τ(0.5 keV) >_{z > 2} = 0.40+/- 0.02. Such an asymptotic optical depth is expected if the foreground diffuse intergalactic medium (IGM) dominates the absorption effect, and if the metallicity of the diffuse IGM reaches ~ 0.2 - 0.4 solar at z = 0. To further test the IGM absorption hypothesis, we analyze the 12 highest S/N (> 5000 photon) z > 2 quasar spectra from the XMM-Newton archive, which are all extremely radio loud (RLQs). The quasar optical depths are found to be consistent with the mean GRB value. The four lowest-z quasars (2 < z < 2.5), however, do not show significant absorption. The best X-ray spectra of radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) at z > 2 provide only upper limits to the absorption, which are still consistent with the RLQs, albeit with much lower S/N (< 1000 photons at z ~ 4). Lack of quasar absorption poses a challenge to the smooth IGM interpretation, and could allude to the opacity being rather due to the jets in RLQs and GRBs. However, the jet absorbing column would need to appear in RLQs only at z > 2.5, and in GRBs to strongly increase with z in order to produce the observed tendency to a constant mean τ. High X-ray spectral resolution can differentiate between an absorber intrinsic to the source that produces discernible spectral lines, and the diffuse IGM that produces significant absorption, but no discrete features.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Flares In Long And Short Gamma Ray Bursts

The many similarities between the prompt emission pulses in gamma ray bursts (GRBs) and X-ray flares during the fast decay and afterglow phases of GRBs suggest a common origin. In the cannonball (CB) model of GRBs, this common origin is mass accretion episodes of fall-back matter on a newly born compact object. The prompt emission pulses are produced by a bipolar jet of highly relativistic plasmoids (CBs) ejected in the early, major episodes of mass accretion. As the accretion material is consumed, one may expect the engine's activity to weaken. X-ray flares ending the prompt emission and during the afterglow phase are produced in such delayed episodes of mass accretion. The common engine, environment and radiation mechanisms (inverse Compton scattering and synchrotron radiation) produce their observed similarities. Flares in both long GRBs and short hard gamma ray bursts (SHBs) can also be produced by bipolar ejections of CBs following a phase transition in compact objects due to loss of angular momentum and/or cooling. Optical flares, however, are mostly produced in collisions of CBs with massive stellar winds/ejecta or with density bumps along their path. In this paper we show that the master formulae of the CB model of GRBs and SHBs, which reproduce very well their prompt emission pulses and their smooth afterglows, seem to reproduce also very well the lightcurves and spectral evolution of the prominent X-ray and optical flares that are well sampled.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

On re-brightening afterglows of XRFs, Soft GRBs and GRB081028

It has been claimed recently that Swift has captured for the first time a late-time afterglow re-brightening of clear nonflaring origin after the steep decay of the prompt emission in a long gamma-ray burst (GRB), which may have been produced by a narrow jet viewed far off-axis. However, this interpretation of the observed re-brightening of the X-ray afterglow (AG) of GRB081028 is unlikely in view of its large equivalent isotropic gamma-ray energy. Moreover, we show that the late-time re-brightening of the AG of GRB081028 is well explained by the cannonball (CB) model of GRBs as a synchrotron flare emitted when the jet that produced the GRB in a star formation region (SFR) in the host galaxy crossed the SFR boundary into the interstellar medium or the halo of the host galaxy. We also show that all the other observed properties of GRB081028 and its afterglow are well reproduced by the CB model. On the other hand, we demonstrate that far-off axis GRBs, which in the CB model are `soft' GRBs and XRFs and consequently have much smaller isotropic equivalent gamma-ray energies, have slowly rising afterglows with a late-time power-law decay identical to that of ordinary GRBs, in good agreement with the CB model predictions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

High Energy Photons From Gamma Ray Bursts

Emission of high energy (HE) photons above 100 MeV that is delayed and lasts much longer than the prompt MeV emission has been detected from several long duration gamma ray bursts (LGRBs) and short hard bursts (SHBs) by the Compton, Fermi and AGILE gamma ray observatories. In this paper we show that the main observed properties of this HE emission are those predicted by the cannonball (CB) model of GRBs: In the CB model all the observed radiations in a GRB are produced by the interaction of a highly relativistic jet of plasmoids (CBs) with the environment. The prompt X-ray and MeV $γ$-ray pulses are produced by inverse Compton scattering (ICS) of glory photons -photons scattered/emitted into a cavity created by the wind/ejecta blown from the progenitor star or a companion star long before the GRB- by the thermal electrons in the CBs. A simultaneous optical and high energy emission begins shortly after each MeV pulse when the CB collides with the wind/ejecta, and continues during the deceleration of the CB in the interstellar medium. The optical emission is dominated by synchrotron radiation (SR) from the swept-in and knocked-on electrons which are Fermi accelerated to high energies by the turbulent magnetic fields in the CBs, while ICS of these SR photons dominates the emission of HE photons. The lightcurves of the optical and HE emissions have approximately the same temporal behaviour but have different power-law spectra. The emission of very high energy (VHE) photons above 100 TeV is dominated by the decay of $π^0$'s produced in hadronic collisions of Fermi accelerated protons in the CBs. The CB model explains well all the observed radiations, including the high energy radiation from both LGRBs and SHBs as demonstrated here for GRB 090902B and SHB 090510.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

X-Ray Flares In GRB090812 - Case Study

The master formulae of the CB model of long durations gamma ray bursts (GRBs) which reproduce very well the light curves and spectral evolution of their prompt emission pulses and their smooth afterglows, also reproduce very well the lightcurves and spectral evolution of their X-ray and optical flares. Here we demonstrate that for GRB090812

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

The Anticipated Supernova Associated with GRB090618

We use the cannonball model of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) and public data from the first day of observations of GRB 090618 to predict its X-ray and optical lightcurves until very late times, and, in particular, the emergence of a photometric and spectroscopic signature of an SN akin to SN1998bw in its optical afterglow with an anticipated peak brightness of magnitude 23 in the R band around July 10, 2009, if extinction in the host galaxy can be neglected.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

High Energy Phenomena In The Universe

Highlights of the 44th Rencontre De Moriond on High Energy Phenomena In The Universe which was held in La Thuile, Italy during February 1-8, 2009.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Dark Matter Signals In Cosmic Rays?

The flux of the diffuse gamma-ray background radiation (GBR) does not confirm that the excess in the flux of cosmic ray electrons between 300-800 GeV, which was measured locally with the ATIC instrument in balloon flights over Antartica, is universal as expected from dark matter annihilation. Neither does the increase with energy of the fraction of positrons in the cosmic ray flux of electrons in the 10-100 GeV range that was measured by PAMELA imply a dark matter origin: It is consistent with that expected from the sum of the two major sources of Galactic cosmic rays, non relativistic spherical ejecta and highly relativistic jets from supernova explosions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

The cannonball model of long GRBs - overview

During the past ten years, the predictions of the cannonball (CB) model of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) were repeatedly confronted with the mounting data from space- and ground-based observations of GRBs and their afterglows (AGs). The two underlying radiation mechanisms of the model, inverse Compton scattering (ICS) and synchrotron radiation (SR), provided an accurate description of the prompt and afterglow emission in all of the many well-sampled GRBs that were studied. Simple as they are, these two mechanisms and the burst environment were shown to generate the observed rich structure of the GRB light-curves at all observed frequencies and times.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

The diverse broad-band light-curves of Swift GRBs reproduced with the cannonball model

Two radiation mechanisms, inverse Compton scattering (ICS) and synchrotron radiation (SR), suffice within the cannonball (CB) model of long gamma ray bursts (LGRBs) and X-ray flashes (XRFs) to provide a very simple and accurate description of their observed prompt emission and afterglows. Simple as they are, the two mechanisms and the burst environment generate the rich structure of the light curves at all frequencies and times. This is demonstrated for 33 selected Swift LGRBs and XRFs, which are well sampled from early until late time and faithfully represent the entire diversity of the broad-band light curves of Swift LGRBs and XRFs. Their prompt gamma-ray and X-ray emission is dominated by ICS of `glory' light. During their fast decline phase, ICS is taken over by SR, which dominates their broad-band afterglow. The pulse shape and spectral evolution of the gamma-ray peaks and the early-time X-ray flares, and even the delayed optical `humps' in XRFs, are correctly predicted. The `canonical' and non-canonical X-ray light curves and the chromatic behaviour of the broad-band afterglows are well reproduced. In particular, in canonical X-ray light curves, the initial fast decline and rapid softening of the prompt emission, the transition to the plateau phase, the subsequent gradual steepening of the plateau to an asymptotic power-law decay, and the transition from chromatic to achromatic behaviour of the light curves agrees well with those predicted by the CB model. The Swift early-time data on XRF 060218 are inconsistent with a black-body emission from a shock break-out through a stellar envelope. Instead, they are well described by ICS of glory light by a jet breaking out from SN2006aj.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

What did we learn from the extremely bright gamma ray bursts 990123 and 080319B?

The two brightest and so far the best studied gamma ray bursts (GRBs), 990123 and 080319B, were ordinary, highly collimated GRBs produced in a core collapse supernova explosion within a high-density wind environment and observed from a very near-axis viewing angle. Inverse Compton scattering (ICS) and synchrotron radiation (SR), the two dominant radiation mechanisms in the cannonball (CB) model of GRBs, together with the burst environment, provide a very simple and sufficiently accurate description of the multiwavelength lightcurves of their prompt and afterglow emissions.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Short Hard Gamma Ray Bursts And Their Afterglows

Long duration gamma ray bursts (GRBs) and X-ray flashes (XRFs) are produced by highly- relativistic jets ejected in core-collapse supernova explosions. The origin of short hard gamma-ray bursts (SHBs) has not been established. They may be produced by highly relativistic jets ejected in various processes: mergers of compact stellar objects; large-mass accretion episodes onto compact stars in close binaries or onto intermediate-mass black holes in dense stellar regions; phase transition of compact stars. Natural environments of such events are the dense cores of globular clusters, superstar clusters and young supernova remnants. We have used the cannonball model of GRBs to analyze all Swift SHBs with a well-sampled X-ray afterglow. We show that their prompt gamma-ray emission can be explained by inverse Compton scattering (ICS) of the progenitor's glory light, and their extended soft emission component by ICS of high density light or synchrotron radiation (SR) in a high density interstellar medium within the cluster. The mechanism generating the afterglow is synchrotron radiation outside the cluster. No associated supernova could be detected in the low luminosity nearby GRBs 060614 and 060505. We interpret them as SHBs seen relatively far off axis.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

A theory of Cosmic Rays

We present a theory of non-solar cosmic rays (CRs) in which the bulk of their observed flux is due to a single type of CR source at all energies. The total luminosity of the Galaxy, the broken power-law spectra with their observed slopes, the position of the `knee(s)' and `ankle', and the CR composition and its variation with energy are all predicted in terms of very simple and completely `standard' physics. The source of CRs is extremely `economical': it has only one parameter to be fitted to the ensemble of all of the mentioned data. All other inputs are `priors', that is, theoretical or observational items of information independent of the properties of the source of CRs, and chosen to lie in their pre-established ranges. The theory is part of a `unified view of high-energy astrophysics' --based on the `Cannonball' model of the relativistic ejecta of accreting black holes and neutron stars. The model has been extremely successful in predicting all the novel properties of Gamma Ray Bursts recently observed with help of the Swift satellite. If correct, this model is only lacking a satisfactory theoretical understanding of the `cannon' that emits the cannonballs in catastrophic processes of accretion.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2008

'Jet breaks' and 'missing breaks' in the X-Ray afterglow of Gamma Ray Bursts

The X-ray afterglows (AGs) of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and X-Ray Flashes (XRFs) have, after the fast decline phase of their prompt emission, a temporal behaviour varying between two extremes. A large fraction of these AGs has a 'canonical' light curve which, after an initial shallow-decay 'plateau' phase, 'breaks smoothly' into a fast power-law decline. Very energetic GRBs, contrariwise, appear not to have a 'break', their AG declines like a power-law from the start of the observations. Breaks and 'missing breaks' are intimately related to the geometry and deceleration of the jets responsible for GRBs. In the frame of the 'cannonball' (CB) model of GRBs and XRFs, we analyze the cited extreme behaviours (canonical and pure power-law) and intermediate cases spanning the observed range of X-ray AG shapes. We show that the entire panoply of X-ray light-curve shapes --measured with Swift and other satellites-- are as anticipated, on very limpid grounds, by the CB model. We test the expected correlations between the AG's shape and the peak- and isotropic energies of the prompt radiation, strengthening a simple conclusion of the analysis of AG shapes: in energetic GRBs the break is not truly 'missing', it is hidden under the tail of the prompt emission, or it occurs too early to be recorded. We also verify that the spectral index of the unabsorbed AGs and the temporal index of their late power-law decline differ by half a unit, as predicted.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Is there anything special about GRB 080319B?

We show that the properties of gamma ray burst 080319B and its afterglow are well reproduced by the cannonball model of long gamma ray bursts (GRBs). It was an ordinary GRB, produced by a jet of highly relativistic plasmoids (CBs), ejected in a core-collapse supernova (SN) and viewed, as some others before, particularly close to the CB-emission axis. It still remains to be seen whether GRB 080319B was associated with an SN akin to SN1998bw, the SN type ordinarily associated with GRBs, or with a much more luminous SN.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

The rapid decline of the prompt emission in Gamma-Ray Bursts

Many gamma ray bursts (GRBs) have been observed with the Burst-Alert and X-Ray telescopes of the Swift satellite. The successive `pulses' of these GRBs end with a fast decline and a fast spectral softening, until they are overtaken by another pulse, or the last pulse's decline is overtaken by a less rapidly-varying `afterglow'. The fast decline-phase has been attributed, in the currently-explored standard fireball model of GRBs, to `high-latitude' synchrotron emission from a collision of two conical shells. This high latitude emission does not explain the observed spectral softening. In contrast, the temporal behaviour and the spectral evolution during the fast-decline phase agree with the predictions of the cannonball model of GRBs.

astro-ph↗