arXiv subjects

Lang Shao

Publications and source records attributed to Lang Shao.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Revisiting the Long/Soft-Short/Hard Classification of Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Fermi Era

We perform a statistical analysis of the temporal and spectral properties of the latest Fermi gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) to revisit the classification of GRBs. We find that the bimodalities of duration and the energy ratio ($E_{\mathrm{peak}}$/Fluence) and the anti-correlation between spectral hardness (hardness ratio ($HR$), peak energy and spectral index) and duration ($T_{90}$) support the long/soft $-$ short/hard classification scheme for Fermi GRBs. The $HR - T_{90}$ anti-correlation strongly depends upon the spectral shape of GRBs and energy bands, and the bursts with the curved spectra in the typical BATSE energy bands show a tighter anti-correlation than those with the power-law spectra in the typical BAT energy bands. This might explain why the $HR - T_{90}$ correlation is not evident for those GRB samples detected by instruments like {\it Swift} with a narrower/softer energy bandpass. We also analyze the intrinsic energy correlation for the GRBs with measured redshifts and well defined peak energies. The current sample suggests $E_{\mathrm{p,rest}}=2455\times (E_{\mathrm{iso}}/10^{52})^{0.59}$ for short GRBs, significantly different from that for long GRBs. However, both the long and short GRBs comply with the same $E_{\mathrm{p,rest}}-L_{\mathrm{iso}}$ correlation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

Effect of Dust Extinction on Gamma-ray Burst Afterglows

In order to study the effect of dust extinction on the afterglow of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), we carry out numerical calculations with high precision based on rigorous Mie theory and latest optical properties of interstellar dust grains, and analyze the different extinction curves produced by dust grains with different physical parameters. Our results indicate that the absolute extinction quantity is substantially determined by the medium density and metallicity. However, the shape of the extinction curve is mainly determined by the size distribution of the dust grains. If the dust grains aggregate to form larger ones, they will cause a flatter or grayer extinction curve with lower extinction quantity. On the contrary, if the dust grains are disassociated to smaller ones due to some uncertain processes, they will cause a steeper extinction curve with larger amount of extinction. These results might provide an important insight into understanding the origin of the optically dark GRBs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

Implications of Understanding Short Gamma-Ray Bursts Detected by {\it Swift}

In an effort to understand the puzzle of classifying gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), we perform a systematic study of {\it Swift} GRBs and investigate several short GRB issues. Though short GRBs have a short ($\lesssim2$ s) prompt duration as monitored by the Burst Alert Telescope, the composite light curves including both the prompt and afterglow emission suggest that most of the short GRBs have a similar radiative feature to long GRBs. Further, some well-studied short GRBs might also have an intrinsically long prompt duration, which renders them as a type of short GRB imposters. Genuine short GRBs detected by {\it Swift} might be rare that discriminating the observed short GRBs is, not surprisingly, troublesome. In particular, the observational biases in the host identification and redshift measurement of GRBs should be taken with great caution. The redshift distribution which has been found to be different for long and short GRBs might have been strongly affected by the measurement methods. We find that the redshifts measured from the presumed host galaxies of long and short GRBs appear to have a similar distribution.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

Sw 1644+57/GRB 110328A: the physical origin and the composition of the relativistic outflow

Sw 1644+57/GRB 110328A is a remarkable cosmological X-ray outburst detected by the {\it Swift} satellite. Its early-time ($t\lesssim 0.1$ days since the trigger) X-ray emission resembles some gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), e.g., GRB 090417B. But the late-time flaring X-ray plateau lasting $> 40$ days renders it unique. We examine the possibilities that the outburst is a super-long GRB powered either by the fallback accretion onto a nascent black hole or by a millisecond pulsar, and find out that these two scenarios can address some but not all of the main observational features. We then focus on the model of tidal disruption of a (giant) star by a massive black hole. The mass of the tidal-disrupted star is estimated to be $\gtrsim$ a few solar masses. A simple/straightforward argument for a magnetic origin of the relativistic outflow is presented.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2010

Underlying global features of the x-ray light curves of {\it swift} gamma-ray bursts

With its rapid response, {\it Swift} has revealed plenty of unexpected properties of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). With an abundance of observations, our current understanding is only limited by complexity of early X-ray light curves. In this work, based on the public {\it Swift} data of 150 well-monitored GRBs with measured redshifts, we find some interesting global features in the rest-frame X-ray light curves. The distinct spectral behaviors between the prompt emission and the afterglow emission implies dissimilar radiation scenarios. Interestingly, an unforeseen plateau is exhibited in the prompt X-ray light curves despite the presence of complex spikes, which might indicate the presence of a steady central engine. In particular, the seemingly continuous evolution with a single power law from the prompt to the afterglow of most GRBs might place strong constraints on the theoretical models.

astro-ph.HE↗