arXiv subjects

Gabriele Ghisellini

Publications and source records attributed to Gabriele Ghisellini.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv1999

Constraints on the emission mechanisms of gamma-ray bursts

If the emission of gamma-ray bursts were due to the synchrotron process in the standard internal shock scenario, then the typical observed spectrum should have a slope F(nu) \propto nu^{-1/2}, which strongly conflicts with the much harder spectra observed. This directly follows from the cooling time being much shorter than the dynamical time. Particle re-acceleration, deviations from equipartition, fastly changing magnetic fields and adiabatic losses are found to be inadequate to account for this discrepancy. We also find that in the internal shock scenario the relativistic inverse Compton scattering is always as important as the synchrotron process, and faces the same problems. This indicates that the burst emission is not produced by relativistic electrons emitting synchrotron and inverse Compton radiation.

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arXiv1999

The detection of linear polarization in the afterglow of GRB 990510 and its theoretical implications

We present the recent discovery of linear polarization of the optical afterglow of GRB 990510. Effects that could introduce spurious polarization are discussed, showing that they do not apply to the case of GRB 990510, which is then intrinsically polarized. It will be shown that this observation constrains the emission mechanism of the afterglow radiation, the geometry of the fireball and degree of order of the magnetic field. We then present the theoretical interpretations of this observation with particular emphasis on the possibility of observing polarization in beamed fireballs.

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arXiv1999

Compton Dragged Gamma--Ray Bursts associated with Supernovae

It is proposed that the gamma-ray photons that characterize the prompt emission of Gamma-Ray Bursts are produced through the Compton drag process, caused by the interaction of a relativistic fireball with a very dense soft photon bath. If gamma-ray bursts are indeed associated with Supernovae, then the exploding star can provide enough soft photons for radiative drag to be effective. This model accounts for the basic properties of gamma-ray bursts, i.e. the overall energetics, the peak frequency of the spectrum and the fast variability, with an efficiency which can exceed 50%. In this scenario there is no need for particle acceleration in relativistic collisionless shocks. Furthermore, though Poynting flux may be important in accelerating the outflow, no magnetic field is required in the gamma-ray production. The drag also naturally limits the relativistic expansion of the fireball to Gamma < 10^4.

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arXiv1999

Emission processes in gamma-ray bursts

Recent results of the hectic research activity about gamma-ray bursts will be reviewed, with emphasis about the emission processes at the origin of the observed gamma-rays. The conventional synchrotron shock scenario is found to have problems, due to the very short cooling times of the emitting electrons, which implies a predicted spectrum F(nu) proportional to nu^(-1/2), much steeper than what is observed. It is therefore compelling to look for alternative emission processes, such as quasi-thermal Comptonization, implying the presence of mildly or sub-relativistic electrons, producing, through multiple Compton scatterings, a spectrum proportional to nu^0 ending with a Wien peak where photons and electron energies balance. The afterglow light, instead, can be indeed due to synchrotron radiation, and a confirmation of this is the recently detected optical linear polarization of the afterglow of GRB 990510. Some consequences of this discovery will be outlined. A quantum leap in our understanding of the physics of gamma-ray bursts is expected to come with SWIFT, a NASA-MIDEX dedicated satellite.

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arXiv1999

Constraints on the bulk Lorentz factor in the internal shock scenario for gamma-ray bursts

We investigate, independently of specific emission models, the constraints on the value of the bulk Lorentz factor Gamma of a fireball. We assume that the burst emission comes from internal shocks in a region transparent to Thomson scattering and before deceleration due to the swept up external matter is effective. We consider the role of Compton drag in decelerating fast moving shells before they interact with slower ones, thus limiting the possible differences in bulk Lorentz factor of shells. Tighter constraints on the possible range of Gamma are derived by requiring that the internal shocks transform more than a few per cent of the bulk energy into radiation. Efficient bursts may require a hierarchical scenario, where a shell undergoes multiple interactions with other shells. We conclude that fireballs with average Lorentz factors larger than 1000 are unlikely to give rise to the observed bursts.

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arXiv1999

Polarization lightcurves and position angle variation of beamed gamma-ray bursts

The recently detected linear polarization in the optical lightcurve of GRB 990510 renewed the interest on how polarization can be produced in gamma-ray burst fireballs. Here we present a model based on the assumption that we are seeing a collimated fireball, observed slightly off-axis. This introduces some degree of anisotropy, and makes it possible to observe a linearly polarized flux even if the magnetic field is completely tangled in the plane orthogonal to the line of sight. We construct the lightcurve of the polarization flux, showing that it is always characterized by two maxima, with the polarization position angle changing by 90 deg. between the first and the second maximum. The very same geometry here assumed implies that the total flux initially decays in time as a power law, but gradually steepens as the bulk Lorentz factor of the fireball decreases.

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arXiv1999

GRB Redshift determination in the X-ray band

If gamma-ray bursts originate in dense stellar forming regions, the interstellar material can imprint detectable absorption features on the observed X-ray spectrum. Such features can be detected by existing and planned X-ray satellites, as long as the X-ray afterglow is observed after a few minutes from the burst. Detection of these X-ray features will make possible the determination of the redshift of gamma-ray bursts even when their optical afterglows are severely dimmed by extinction.

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arXiv1999

Iron line in the afterglow: a key to the progenitor

The discovery of a powerful and transient iron line feature in the X-ray afterglow spectrum of GRB 970508 and GRB 970828, if confirmed, would be a major breakthrough for understanding the nature the progenitor of gamma-ray bursts. We show that a large mass of iron very close to the burster is necessary to produce the emission line. This in itself strongly limits the possible progenitor of the gamma-ray event, suggesting the former explosion of a supernova, as predicted in the Supranova model (Vietri & Stella 1998). The line emission process and the line intensity depend strongly on the age, density and temperature of the remnant. The simultaneous observation of the iron line and of a power-law optical afterglow lasted for one year strongly suggest that the burst emission is isotropic. Recent observations of GRB 990123 are also discussed.

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arXiv1999

Iron line afterglows: general constraints

The discovery of a powerful and transient iron line feature in the X-ray afterglow spectra of gamma-ray bursts would be a major breakthrough for understanding the nature of their progenitors, strongly suggesting the presence of a large, iron rich, mass in the vicinity of the burst event. Model-independent limits to the size and the mass of the the iron line emitting region are derived and discussed. We also discuss how these results can be used to constrain the amount of beaming or anisotropy of the burst emission.

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arXiv1999

Iron line afterglows: how to produce them

We discuss how a powerful iron line emission can be produced if ~1-5 iron rich solar masses are concentrated in the close vicinity of the burst. Recombination, thermal and fluorescent reflection are discussed. We find that recombination suffers the high Compton temperature of the plasma while the other two scenarios are not mutually exclusive and could account for the claimed iron line detected in two afterglows.

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arXiv1999

Bursts from internal shocks: is it really synchrotron emission?

Within the standard internal shock scenario, synchrotron emission would produce a spectrum with slope F(v) proportional to v^(-1/2), as immediate consequence of the cooling timescale being shorter than the integration time. This is in disagreement with the harder observed spectra, indicating that a different mechanism is responsible for the burst emission. Furthermore in this scenario pair production is expected when photons produced by inverse Compton emission are taken into account.

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arXiv1999

Quasi-Thermal Comptonization and GRBs

Quasi-thermal Comptonization is an attractive alternative to the synchrotron process to explain the spectra of GRBs, even if we maintain other important properties of the internal shock scenario, implying a compact emitting region and an equipartition magnetic field. Photon-photon absorption and electron-positron pairs can play a crucial role: this process may lock the effective temperature in a narrow range and may be the reason why burst spectra have high energy cut-offs close to the rest mass-energy of the electron. If the progenitors of GRB are hypernovae, the circum-burst matter is dominated by the wind of the pre-hypernova star. The presence of this dense material has strong effects on the generation of the radiation of the burst and its afterglow.

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arXiv1999

Internal shocks in blazar jets

The discovery of strong gamma-ray and hard X-ray emission and the results from various multifrequency campaigns have disclosed new aspects of the blazar phenomenology, leading to a much more robust understanding of the mechanisms underlying their emission, and offering clues for the energetics of their relativistic jets. I review these aspects, and propose that all the diversity in the blazar phenomenology depends on only one parameter. I also suggest that some of the blazar characteristics can be explained by the internal shock scenario, as proposed to explain the emission from gamma-ray bursts.

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arXiv1999

Special Relativity at action in the Universe

Nature succeeds in accelerating extended and massive objects to relativistic velocities. Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei and in galactic superluminal sources and gamma-ray bursts fireballs have bulk Lorentz factors from a few to several hundreds. A variety of effects then arises, such as the beaming of the produced radiation, light aberration, time contraction and the Doppler frequency shift. I will emphasize that special relativity applied to real (i.e. extended) observed objects inevitably must take into account that any piece of information is carried by photons. Being created in different parts of the source, they travel different paths to reach the observer, depending on the viewing angle. The object is seen rotated, not contracted, and at small viewing angles time intervals are observed shorter than intrinsic ones.

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arXiv1999

Iron line in the afterglow: a key to unveil Gamma-Ray Burst progenitors

The discovery of a powerful and transient iron line feature in the X-ray afterglow spectra of gamma-ray bursts would be a major breakthrough for understanding the nature of their progenitors. Piro et al. (1999) and Yoshida et al. (1999) report such a detection in the afterglow of GRB 970508 and GRB 970828, respectively. We discuss how such a strong line could be produced in the various scenarios proposed for the event progenitor. We show that the observed line intensity requires a large iron mass, concentrated in the vicinity of the burst. The previous explosion of a supernova, predicted in the Supranova scenario, is the most straightforward way to account for such a large amount of matter. We discuss three different physical processes that could account for the line: recombination, reflection and thermal emission. Among these, reflection and thermal emission may explain the observed line features: reflection should be important if the remnant is optically thick, while thermal lines can be produced only in a thin plasma. The recombination process requires extremely high densities to efficiently reprocess the burst photons, whereas this process could work during the X-ray afterglow. Future key observations for discriminating the actual radiating process are discussed.

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arXiv1998

MeV synchrotron BL Lacs

The recent BeppoSAX observations of the BL Lac objects Mkn 501 and 1ES 2344+514 have shown that the synchrotron spectrum of these objects peaks, in a v-vF(v) representation, at energies at or above 100 keV. One can wonder if these are the most extreme examples of hard synchrotron blazars, or if they are the first cases of a more numerous class of sources. Here I propose the existence of a class of even more extreme BL Lac objects, whose synchrotron spectrum peaks at or above 1 MeV. Based on the observational trend found between the location of the synchrotron peak and the bolometric power of BL Lac objects, it is argued that the proposed extreme sources could have escaped detection (in any band) so far, or could have been classified as galaxies, and their "BL Lac-ness" could be revealed by INTEGRAL.

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arXiv1998

Extreme blazars

The recent Cherenkov telescope observations and detections of the BL Lac objects Mkn 421, Mkn 501, 1ES 2344+514, PKS 2155--304 and possibly 1ES 1959+658 have shown that there exists a subclass of BL Lac objects emitting a substantial fraction of their power between the GeV and the TeV bands. These are the sources whose synchrotron spectrum peaks, in a $ν$--$νF_ν$ representation, in the EUV or X-ray band. Here I suggest that even more extreme BL Lacs can exist, whose synchrotron spectrum peaks in the MeV band. These sources should emit a substantial fraction of their power in the TeV band by the inverse Compton process. Limits to the maximum possible emitted frequencies are discussed.

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arXiv1998

Extreme Synchrotron Blazars in Outburst: the Potentiality of INTEGRAL Imaging and Spectroscopy

Only ~10 blazars have been detected in soft gamma-rays by OSSE and the PDS, often in flaring state. We investigate the impact of the imaging and spectral capabilities of the IBIS instrument on board INTEGRAL on the study of blazars. The objectives are: 1) to remove ambiguities in the identification of some blazars as soft gamma-ray emitters; 2) to determine the spectral shape of "extreme synchrotron" blazars, namely sources with high F_X/F_radio ratios, for which the synchrotron component peaks at far UV-soft X-ray frequencies. We expect that in these sources the synchrotron peak shifts to higher energies during outbursts, making them strong soft gamma-ray emitters, and therefore possible targets for INTEGRAL wide band X- and gamma-ray spectroscopy.

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