arXiv subjects

Hira Waseem

Publications and source records attributed to Hira Waseem.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

An extremely bright slow-rising afterglow from an off-axis jet in GRB 260310A

We present a multi-wavelength study of GRB 260310A, a nearby long-duration gamma-ray burst at $z\simeq0.153$ associated with a broad-lined Type Ic supernova. Despite its modest prompt gamma-ray output, $E_{γ,\rm iso}\simeq3.5\times10^{50}$ erg, GRB 260310A exhibits one of the brightest afterglows ever observed in the X-ray, optical, and radio bands. Its apparent brightness is not its only remarkable feature. The optical afterglow displays a delayed onset, characterized by a slow rising phase, with slope $α\approx-1$, and a late peak at $\approx$0.1 d. We argue that the combination of weak prompt emission, hard peak energy, and late afterglow onset is naturally explained by a GRB jet viewed off-axis. The radio spectral energy distributions are consistent with synchrotron radiation and indicate the presence of both reverse- and forward-shock components, thus providing a first test of reverse-shock models in an off-axis geometry. The X-ray afterglow displays a prominent rebrightening, monitored for up to $\approx$68 d with no evidence of spectral evolution. A low level of linear polarization, $Π\approx1.7\%$, is measured at 15 GHz at $T_0+55$ d and suggests that, at these late times, the forward-shock is the dominant emission component from radio to X-rays. This late-time rebrightening represents a critical test for the two-component jet model. If interpreted as the emergence of a narrow jet core viewed further off-axis, it would imply extreme luminosities and energetics for an on-axis observer.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

A systematic search for long GRBs without supernovae: global properties and rate of events

Some long duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) are not associated with bright supernovae (SNe), indicating that their explosion mechanism differs from the traditional collapsar channel. SN-less LGRBs are rare, thus it remains unclear whether they are sporadic outliers or a substantial component of the GRB population. In this work, we use two decades of Swift observations to conduct a systematic search for nearby ($z\lesssim$0.35) LGRBs without a confirmed SN association. Our analysis reveals a heterogeneous population linked, in part, to star-forming or dusty environments and, in part, to quiescent galaxies. Through the analysis of their high-energy properties, afterglows, and environments, we identify a sample of LGRBs with robust SN limits and distance scales, more than doubling the number of candidate SN-less events. From our fiducial sample, we derive a volumetric rate, not corrected for beaming, of $R = (0.5 \pm 0.2) {\rm~Gpc^{-3}\ yr^{-1}}$, comparable to the apparent rate of short duration GRBs (SGRBs) and standard LGRBs with SNe with luminosities $L \gtrsim\,10^{50}\,{\rm erg\,s^{-1}}$. For plausible beaming factors, the inferred rate of SN-less LGRBs is consistent with several compact binary merger channels, although the allowed parameter space is already narrow if the entire population is attributed to a single progenitor channel. Owing to the small number of candidate events and the uncertainties in their distance scale, our sample leaves the low-luminosity tail unconstrained. A larger sample will be needed to determine whether they are the faint tail of known progenitor channels or evidence of a distinct route to relativistic explosions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Constraints on the central engine of merger-driven long gamma-ray bursts

Recent observations have identified a new class of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) likely produced by compact binary mergers. Using radio observations and lightcurve modelling, we investigate whether a magnetar remnant can power the long-lasting prompt emission observed in this merger-driven GRB sample. We derive constraints on the magnetars' rotational energy and magnetic-field strength, and assess whether the magnetar central-engine model is viable for the observed events. We conducted 2.1 GHz radio observations of seven nearby merger-driven GRBs ($z<0.25$) using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), obtaining sensitive upper limits on late-time radio emission 520-6900 days post-burst. We modelled the expected radio light curves from magnetar-energized ejecta interacting with the circumburst medium and compared them to our observations. We separately tested the magnetar hypothesis against the extended gamma-ray emission using a fallback-accreting magnetar model. No radio counterpart is detected in any of the observed GRBs, with 3$σ$ flux density upper limits of 33-72 $μ$Jy at 2.1 GHz. Modelling the expected synchrotron emission from magnetar-energized ejecta interacting with the circumburst medium, we find that the radio non-detections remain compatible with energetic outflows in low-density environments. The analysis of the prompt gamma-ray emission provides complementary constraints on the spin period and magnetic field of the magnetar engine. Once fallback accretion and jet baryon-loading are considered, the parameter space is narrowly confined.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Analyzing Deflection Angles and Photon Sphere Dynamics of Magnetically Charged Black Holes in Nonlinear Electrodynamic

In this paper, we investigate the gravitational lensing properties of magnetically charged black holes within the framework of nonlinear electrodynamics. We derive the deflection angle and examine the influence of the nonlinear electrodynamics parameter $ξ$ on light bending. We initially employ a geometric approach based on the Gauss-Bonnet theorem to analyze the gravitational deflection of null and timelike particles. This method encapsulates the global characteristics of the lensing effect in an elegant manner. In the subsequent part of the work, we explore the impact of nonlinear electromagnetic corrections on the black hole shadow. Using numerical techniques, we study the behavior of the photon sphere and demonstrate that a reduction in the photon sphere radius leads to a correspondingly smaller shadow. We compare these results with those for the Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordström black holes, highlighting the distinctive features introduced by nonlinear electrodynamics. Furthermore, we examine the strong deflection limit for light trajectories near these black holes, focusing on the roles of both the magnetic charge $Q$ and the nonlinear parameter $ξ$. Our analysis reveals that the combined effects of $Q$ and $ξ$ enhance the strong deflection angle, resulting in a more pronounced lensing effect than that predicted by the classical Reissner-Nordström solution. These findings suggest that the nonlinear interactions may provide a potential observational signature for identifying NED black holes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Imprinting New Physics by using Angular profiles of the FCNC process $B_{c}\to D_{s}^{*}\left(\to \;D_{s}π\right)\ell^{+}\ell^{-}$

The decays governed by the flavor-changing-neutral-current transitions (FCNC), such as $b\to s\ell^{+}\ell^{-}$, provide an important tool to test the physics in and beyond the Standard Model (SM). This work focuses on investigating the FCNC process $B_{c}\to D_{s}^{*} \left(\to D_{s}π\right)\ell^{+}\ell^{-}(\ell=e,μ,τ)$. Being an exclusive process, the initial and final state meson matrix elements involve the form factors, which are non-perturbative quantities and need to be calculated using specific models. By using the form factors calculated in the covariant light-front quark model, we analyze the branching fractions and angular observables such as the forward-backward asymmetry $A_{FB}$, polarization fractions (Longitudinal and transverse) $F_{L(T)}$, CP asymmetry coefficients $A_{i}$ and CP-averaged angular coefficients $S_{i}$, both in the SM and some new physics (NP) scenarios. Some of these physical observables are a potential source of finding the physics beyond the SM and help us distinguish various NP scenarios.

hep-ph↗