arXiv subjects

Christopher L. Fryer

Publications and source records attributed to Christopher L. Fryer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

On the Lack of a Radio Afterglow from Some Gamma-ray Bursts - Insight into Their Progenitors?

We investigate the intrinsic properties of a sample of bright (E_iso > 10^52 erg) gamma-ray bursts, comparing those with and without radio afterglows. We find that the sample of bursts with no radio afterglows has a significantly shorter mean intrinsic duration of the prompt gamma-ray radiation, and the distribution of this duration is significantly different from those bursts with a radio afterglow. Although the sample with no radio afterglow has on average lower isotropic energy, the lack of radio afterglow does not appear to be a result of simply energetics of the burst, but a reflection of a separate physical phenomenon likely related to the circumburst density profile. We also find a weak correlation between the isotropic gamma-ray energy and intrinsic duration in the sample with no radio afterglow, but not in the sample which have observed radio afterglows. We give possible explanations for why there may exist a sample of GRBs with no radio afterglow depending on whether the radio emission comes from the forward or reverse shock, and why these bursts appear to have intrinsically shorter prompt emission durations. We discuss how our results may have implications for progenitor models of GRBs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

A MAD Model for Gamma-Ray Burst Variability

We present a model for the temporal variability of long gamma-ray bursts during the prompt phase (the highly variable first 100 seconds or so), in the context of a magnetically arrested disk (MAD) around a black hole. In this state, sufficient magnetic flux is held on to the black hole such that it stalls the accretion near the inner region of the disk. The system transitions in and out of the MAD state, which we relate to the variable luminosity of the GRB during the prompt phase, with a characteristic timescale defined by the free fall time in the region over which the accretion is arrested. We present simple analytic estimates of the relevant energetics and timescales, and compare them to gamma-ray burst observations. In particular, we show how this model can reproduce the characteristic one second time scale that emerges from various analyses of the prompt emission light curve. We also discuss how our model can accommodate the potentially physically important correlation between a burst quiescent time and the duration of its subsequent pulse (Ramirez-Ruiz & Merloni 2001).

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

Particle Acceleration in Relativistic Electron-Ion Outlfows

We use the Los Alamos VPIC code to investigate particle acceleration in relativistic, unmagnetized, collisionless electron-ion plasmas. We run our simulations both with a realistic proton-to-electron mass ratio m_p/m_e = 1836, as well as commonly employed mass ratios of m_p/m_e =100 and 25, and show that results differ among the different cases. In particular, for the physically accurate mass ratio, electron acceleration occurs efficiently in a narrow region of a few hundred inertial lengths near the flow front, producing a power law dN/dgamma ~ gamma^(-p) with p ~ -2 developing over a few decades in energy, while acceleration is weak in the region far downstream. We find 20%, 10%, and 0.2% of the total energy given to the electrons for mass ratios of 25, 100, and 1836 respectively at a time of 2500 (w_p)^-1. Our simulations also show significant magnetic field generation just ahead of and behind the the flow front, with about 1% of the total energy going into the magnetic field for a mass ratio of 25 and 100, and 0.1% for a mass ratio of and 1836. In addition, lower mass ratios show significant fields much further downstream than in the realistic mass ratio case. Our results suggest the region and energetic extent of particle acceleration is directly related to the presence of magnetic field generation. Our work sheds light on the understanding of particle acceleration and emission in gamma-ray bursts, among other relativistic astrophysical outflows, but also underscores the necessity of optimizing numerical and physical parameters, as well as comparing among PIC codes before firm conclusions are drawn from these types of simulations.

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arXiv2015

Generating Optimal Initial Conditions for Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Simulations

We review existing SPH setup methods and outline their advantages, limitations and drawbacks. We present a new method for constructing initial conditions for smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations, which may also be of interest for N-body simulations, and demonstrate this method on a number of applications. This new method is inspired by adaptive binning techniques using weighted Voronoi tesselations. Particles are placed and iteratively moved based on their proximity to neighboring particles and the desired spatial resolution. This new method can satisfy arbitrarily complex spatial resolution requirements.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2014

Interpreting Short Gamma Ray Burst Progenitor Kicks and Time Delays Using the Host Galaxy-Dark Matter Halo Connection

Nearly 20% of short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) have no observed host galaxies. Combining this finding with constraints on galaxies' dark matter halo potential wells gives strong limits on the natal kick velocity distribution for sGRB progenitors. For the best-fitting velocity distribution, one in five sGRB progenitors receives a natal kick above 150 km/s, consistent with merging neutron star models but not with merging white dwarf binary models. This progenitor model constraint is robust to a wide variety of systematic uncertainties, including the sGRB progenitor time-delay model, the Swift redshift sensitivity, and the shape of the natal kick velocity distribution. We also use constraints on the galaxy-halo connection to determine the host halo and host galaxy demographics for sGRBs, which match extremely well with available data. Most sGRBs are expected to occur in halos near 10^12 Msun and in galaxies near 5x10^10 Msun (L_*); unobserved faint and high-redshift host galaxies contribute a small minority of the observed hostless sGRB fraction. We find that sGRB redshift distributions and host galaxy stellar masses weakly constrain the progenitor time-delay model; the active vs. passive fraction of sGRB host galaxies may offer a stronger constraint. Finally, we discuss how searches for gravitational wave optical counterparts in the local Universe can reduce followup times using these findings.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

The Fallback Mechanisms in Core-Collapse Supernovae

Although the details of the core-collapse supernova mechanism are not fully understood, it is generally accepted that the energy released in the collapse produces a shock that disrupts the star and produces the explosion. Some of the stellar material does not receive enough energy to escape the potential well of the newly formed neutron star and it falls back on to the core. This fallback plays an important role in setting compact remnant masses and has been invoked to explain a number of observed phenomena: late-time neutrino emission, r-process element production, peculiar supernovae, and long-duration gamma-ray bursts. To examine the link between fallback and these observed phenomena, we must understand the nature of fallback and currently, multiple mechanisms have been proposed that lead to different characteristics of the fallback. In this paper, we model a series of three-dimensional explosions by following the fallback for two different massive progenitors to study both the nature of the fallback and the role of asymmetric explosions on this fallback. One of the most-cited mechanisms behind fallback argues that it is caused by the reverse shock produced when the outward moving supernova shock decelerates in the relatively flat density profile of the stellar envelope. We show that this mechanism plays a minor, if any, role in driving fallback and most supernova fallback is produced by prompt mechanisms.

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arXiv2013

First Simulations of Core- Collapse Supernovae to Supernova Remnants with SNSPH

We present the first 3-dimensional simulations following the evolution of supernova shocks from their inception in the stellar core through the development of a supernova remnant into the Sedov phase. Our set of simulations use two different progenitors and two different conditions for the structure of the circumstellar environment. These calculations demonstrate the role that supernova instabilities (the instabilities that develop as the shock drive through the star) play in defining the structure and long-term development of instabilities in supernova remnants. We also present a first investigation of the mixing between stellar and interstellar matter as the supernova evolves into a young supernova remnant.

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arXiv2012

The Growth of the Stellar Seeds of Supermassive Black Holes

One of the most promising explanations for the origin of the billion solar mass black holes (BHs) inferred to power quasars at redshifts z > 6 is that supermassive stars (SMSs) with masses > 10,000 solar masses collapse to form the seed BHs from which they grow. Here we review recent theoretical advances which provide support for this scenario. Firstly, given sufficiently high accretion rates of gas into the cores of primordial protogalaxies, it appears that neither the high energy radiation emitted from the stellar surface nor the limited lifetime of SMSs can prevent their growth to masses of up to > 100,000 solar masses. Secondly, recent cosmological simulations suggest that the high fluxes of molecule-dissociating radiation which may be required in order to achieve such high accretion rates may be more common in the early universe than previously thought. We conclude that the majority of supermassive BHs may originate from SMSs at high redshifts.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

A Case Study of Small Scale Structure Formation in 3D Supernova Simulations

It is suggested in observations of supernova remnants that a number of large- and small-scale structures form at various points in the explosion. Multidimensional modeling of core-collapse supernovae has been undertaken since SN1987A, and both simulations and observations suggest/show that Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities during the explosion is a main driver for the formation of structure in the remnants. We present a case study of structure formation in 3D in a \msol{15} supernova for different parameters. We investigate the effect of moderate asymmetries and different resolutions of the formation and morphology of the RT unstable region, and take first steps at determining typical physical quantities (size, composition) of arising clumps. We find that in this progenitor the major RT unstable region develops at the He/OC interface for all cases considered. The RT instabilities result in clumps that are overdense by 1-2 orders of magnitude with respect to the ambient gas, have size scales on the level of a few % of the remnant diameter, and are not diffused after the first $\sim30$ yrs of the remnant evolution, in the absence of a surrounding medium.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

The Growth of the Stellar Seeds of Supermassive Black Holes

The collapse of baryons into extremely massive stars with masses exceeding 10^4 M_Sun in a small fraction of protogalaxies at z > 10 is a promising candidate for the origin of supermassive black holes, some of which grow to a billion solar masses by z ~ 7. We determine the maximum masses such stars can attain by accreting primordial gas. We find that at relatively low accretion rates the strong ionizing radiation of these stars limits their masses to M_* ~ 10^3 M_Sun (dM_acc/dt / 10^-3 M_Sun yr^-1)^8/7, where dM_acc/dt is the rate at which the star gains mass. However, at the higher central infall rates usually found in numerical simulations of protogalactic collapse (>~ 0.1 M_Sun yr^-1), the lifetime of the star instead limits its final mass to >~ 10^6 M_Sun. Furthermore, for the spherical accretion rates at which the star can grow, its ionizing radiation is confined deep within the protogalaxy, so the evolution of the star is decoupled from that of its host galaxy. Lyman alpha emission from the surrounding H II region is trapped in these heavy accretion flows and likely reprocessed into strong Balmer series emission, which may be observable by the James Webb Space Telescope. This, along with strong He II 1640 Angstrom and continuum emission, are likely to be the key observational signatures of the progenitors of supermassive black holes at high redshift.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Modeling the Multi-Wavelength Emission of Shell-Type Supernova Remnant RX J1713.7-3946

Emission mechanisms of the shell-type supernova remnant (SNR) RX J1713.7-3946 are studied with multi-wavelength observational data from radio, X-ray, GeV $γ$-ray to TeV $γ$-ray band. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo method is employed to explore the high-dimensional model parameter space systematically. Three scenarios for the $γ$-ray emission are investigated: the leptonic, the hadronic and a hybrid one. Thermal emission from the background plasma is also included to constrain the gas density, assuming ionization equilibrium, and a 2$σ$ upper limit of about 0.03 cm$^{-3}$ is obtained as far as thermal energies account for a significant fraction of the dissipated kinetic energy of the SNR shock. Although systematic errors dominate the $χ^2$ of the spectral fit of all models, we find that 1) the leptonic model has the best constrained model parameters, whose values can be easily accommodated with a typical supernova, but gives relatively poor fit to the TeV $γ$-ray data; 2) The hybrid scenario has one more parameter than the leptonic one and improves the overall spectral fit significantly; 3) The hadronic one, which has three more parameters than the leptonic model, gives the best fit to the overall spectrum with relatively not-well-constrained model parameters and very hard spectra of accelerated particles. The uncertainties of the model parameters decrease significantly if the spectral indices of accelerated electrons and protons are the same. The hybrid and hadronic models also require an energy input into high-energy protons, which seems to be too high compared with typical values of a supernova explosion. Further investigations are required to reconcile these observations with SNR theories.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2010

Trends in Ti44 and Ni56 from Core-Collapse Supernovae

We compare the yields of Ti44 and Ni56 produced from post-processing the thermodynamic trajectories from three different core-collapse models -- a Cassiopeia A progenitor, a double shock hypernova progenitor, and a rotating 2D explosion -- with the yields from exponential and power-law trajectories. The peak temperatures and densities achieved in these core-collapse models span several of the distinct nucleosynthesis regions we identify, resulting in different trends in the Ti44 and Ni56 yields for different mass elements. The Ti44 and Ni56 mass fraction profiles from the exponential and power-law profiles generally explain the tendencies of the post-processed yields, depending on which regions are traversed by the model. We find integrated yields of Ti44 and Ni56 from the exponential and power-law trajectories are generally within a factor 2 or less of the post-process yields. We also analyze the influence of specific nuclear reactions on the Ti44 and Ni56 abundance evolution. Reactions that affect all yields globally are the 3a, p(e-,nu)n and n(e+,nubar)p. The rest of the reactions are ranked according to their degree of impact on the synthesis of Ti44. The primary ones include Ti44(a,p)V47, Ca40(a,g)Ti44, V45(p,g)Cr46, Ca40(a,p)Sc43, F17(a,p)Ne20, Na21(a,p)Mg24, Sc41(p,g)Ti42, Sc43(p,g)Ti44, Ti44(p,g)V45, and Ni57(p,g)Cu58, along with numerous weak reactions. Our analysis suggests that not all Ti44 need be produced in an a-rich freeze-out in core-collapse events, and that reaction rate equilibria in combination with timescale effects for the expansion profile may account for the paucity of Ti44 observed in supernovae remnants.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2010

Stochastic Electron Acceleration in the TeV Supernova Remnant RX J1713.7-3946: The High-Energy Cut-off

In the leptonic scenario for TeV emission from a few well-observed shell-type TeV supernova remnants (STTSNRs), very weak magnetic fields are inferred. If fast-mode waves are produced efficiently in the shock downstream, we show that they are viable agents for acceleration of relativistic electrons inferred from the observed spectra even in the subsonic phase, in spite that these waves are subject to strong damping by thermal background ions at small dissipation scales. Strong collisionless non-relativistic astrophysical shocks are studied with the assumption of a constant Aflven speed in the downstream. The turbulence evolution is modeled with both the Kolmogorov and Kraichnan phenomenology. Processes determining the high-energy cutoff of nonthermal electron distributions are examined. The Kraichnan models lead to a shallower high-energy cutoff of the electron distribution and require a lower downstream density than the Kolmogorov models to fit a given emission spectrum. With reasonable parameters, the model explains observations of STTSNRs, including recent data obtained with the Fermi gamma-ray telescope. More detailed studies of the turbulence generation and dissipation processes, supernova explosions and progenitors are warranted for better understanding the nature of supernova shocks.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Polarized Emission of Sagittarius A*

We explore the parameter space of the two temperature pseudo-Newtonian Keplerian accretion flow model for the millimeter and shorter wavelength emission from Sagittarius A*. A general relativistic ray-tracing code is used to treat the radiative transfer of polarized synchrotron emission from the flow. The synchrotron self-Comptonization and bremsstrahlung emission components are also included. It is shown that the model can readily account for the millimeter to sub-millimeter emission characteristics with an accretion rate of ~6x10^17g.s^-1 and an inclination angle of ~40 deg. However, the corresponding model predicted near-infrared and X-ray fluxes are more than one order of magnitude lower than the observed 'quiescent' state values. While the extended quiescent-state X-ray emission has been attributed to thermal emission from the large-scale accretion flow, the NIR emission and flares are likely dominated by emission regions either within the last stable orbit of a Schwarzschild black hole or associated with outflows. With the viscous parameter derived from numerical simulations, there is still a degeneracy between the electron heating rate and the magnetic parameter. A fully general relativistic treatment with the black hole spin incorporated will resolve these issues.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2008

Difficulties in Probing Nuclear Physics: A Study of $^{44}$Ti and $^{56}$Ni

The nucleosynthetic yield from a supernova explosion depends upon a variety of effects: progenitor evolution, explosion process, details of the nuclear network, and nuclear rates. Especially in studies of integrated stellar yields, simplifications reduce these uncertainties. But nature is much more complex, and to actually study nuclear rates, we will have to understand the full, complex set of processes involved in nucleosynthesis. Here we discuss a few of these complexities and detail how the NuGrid collaboration will address them.

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arXiv2008

NuGrid: Toward High Precision Double-Degenerate Merger Simulations with SPH in 3D

We present preliminary results from recent high-resolution double-degenerate merger simulations with the Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) technique. We put particular emphasis on verification and validation in our effort and show the importance of details in the initial condition setup for the final outcome of the simulation. We also stress the dynamical importance of including shocks in the simulations. These results represent a first step toward a suite of simulations that will shed light on the question whether double-degenerate mergers are a viable path toward type 1a supernovae. In future simulations, we will make use of the capabilities of the NuGrid collaboration in post-processing SPH particle trajectories with a complete nuclear network to follow the detailed nuclear reactions during the dynamic merger phase.

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arXiv2008

Nucleosynthesis Calculations from Core-Collapse Supernovae

We review some of the uncertainties in calculating nucleosynthetic yields, focusing on the explosion mechanism. Current yield calculations tend to either use a piston, energy injection, or enhancement of neutrino opacities to drive an explosion. We show that the energy injection, or more accurately, an entropy injection mechanism is best-suited to mimic our current understanding of the convection-enhanced supernova engine. The enhanced neutrino-opacity technique is in qualitative disagreement with simulations of core-collapse supernovae and will likely produce errors in the yields. But piston-driven explosions are the most discrepant. Piston-driven explosion severely underestimate the amount of fallback, leading to order-of-magnitude errors in the yields of heavy elements. To obtain yields accurate to the factor of a few level, we must use entropy or energy injection and this has become the NuGrid collaboration approach.

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arXiv2008

Nucleosynthetic Yields from "Collapsars"

The "collapsar" engine for gamma-ray bursts invokes as its energy source the failure of a normal supernova and the formation of a black hole. Here we present the results of the first three-dimensional simulation of the collapse of a massive star down to a black hole, including the subsequent accretion and explosion. The explosion differs significantly from the axisymmetric scenario obtained in two-dimensional simulations; this has important consequences for the nucleosynthetic yields. We compare the nucleosynthetic yields to those of hypernovae. Calculating yields from three-dimensional explosions requires new strategies in post-process nucleosynthesis; we discuss NuGrid's plan for three-dimensional yields.

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