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P. Veres

Publications and source records attributed to P. Veres.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2013

Searching for galactic sources in the Swift GRB catalog

Since the early 1990s Gamma Ray Bursts have been accepted to be of extra-galactic origin due to the isotropic distribution observed by BATSE and the redshifts observed via absorption line spectroscopy. Nevertheless, upon further examination at least one case turned out to be of galactic origin. This particular event presented a Fast Rise, Exponential Decay (FRED) structure which leads us to believe that other FRED sources might also be Galactic. This study was set out to estimate the most probable degree of contamination by galactic sources that certain samples of FREDs have. In order to quantify the degree of anisotropy the average dipolar and quadripolar moments of each sample of GRBs with respect to the galactic plane were calculated. This was then compared to the probability distribution of simulated samples comprised of a combination of isotropically generated sources and galactic sources. We observe that the dipolar and quadripolar moments of the selected subsamples of FREDs are found more than two standard deviations outside those of random isotropically generated samples.The most probable degree of contamination by galactic sources for the FRED GRBs of the Swift catalog detected until February 2011 that do not have a known redshift is about 21 out of 77 sources which is roughly equal to 27%. Furthermore we observe, that by removing from this sample those bursts that may have any type of indirect redshift indicator and multiple peaks gives the most probable contamination increases up to 34% (17 out of 49 sources). It is probable that a high degree of contamination by galactic sources occurs among the single peak FREDs observed by Swift.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2012

Single- and Two-Component GRB Spectra in the Fermi GBM-LAT Energy Range

Most Fermi GRB spectra appear as either a broken power law extending to GeV energies or as a broken power with a separate GeV power law component. Here we show that such spectra can be understood in terms of magnetically dominated relativistic jets where a dissipative photosphere produces the prompt MeV emission, which is extended into the GeV range by inverse Compton scattering in the external shock, with possible contributions from a reverse shock as well. The bulk Lorentz factors required in these models are in the range of 300-600, and the MeV-GeV time delays arise naturally. In some cases an optical flash and a sub-dominant thermal component are also present.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2011

On the properties of the RHESSI intermediate-duration gamma-ray bursts

The intermediate-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) identified in the data of the RHESSI satellite are investigated with respect to their spectral lags, peak count rates, redshifts, supernova observations, and star formation rates of their host galaxies. Standard statistical tests like Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Student t-test are used. It is discussed whether these bursts belong to the group of so-called short or long GRBs, or if they significantly differ from both groups.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2010

A distinct peak-flux distribution of the third class of gamma-ray bursts: A possible signature of X-ray flashes?

Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous events in the Universe. Going beyond the short-long classification scheme we work in the context of three burst populations with the third group of intermediate duration and softest spectrum. We are looking for physical properties which discriminate the intermediate duration bursts from the other two classes. We use maximum likelihood fits to establish group memberships in the duration-hardness plane. To confirm these results we also use k-means and hierarchical clustering. We use Monte-Carlo simulations to test the significance of the existence of the intermediate group and we find it with 99.8% probability. The intermediate duration population has a significantly lower peak-flux (with 99.94% significance). Also, long bursts with measured redshift have higher peak-fluxes (with 98.6% significance) than long bursts without measured redshifts. As the third group is the softest, we argue that we have {related} them with X-ray flashes among the gamma-ray bursts. We give a new, probabilistic definition for this class of events.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2010

How the RHESSI gamma-ray burst measurements have been affected by the annealing procedure?

The performance of the nine RHESSI germanium detectors has been gradually deteriorating since its launch in 2002 because of radiation damage. To restore its former sensitivity, the spectrometer underwent an annealing procedure in November 2007. However, it changed the RHESSI response and affected gamma-ray burst measurements, e.g., the hardness ratios and the spectral capabilities below ~100keV.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2010

Searching for differences in Swift's intermediate GRBs

Gamma-ray bursts are usually classified through their high-energy emission into short-duration and long-duration bursts, which presumably reflect two different types of progenitors. However, it has been shown on statistical grounds that a third, intermediate population is needed in this classification scheme, although an extensive study of the properties of this class has so far not been done. The large amount of follow-up studies generated during the Swift era allows us to have a suficient sample to attempt a study of this third population through the properties of their prompt emission and their afterglows. Our study is focused on a sample of GRBs observed by Swift during its first four years of operation. The sample contains those bursts with measured redshift since this allows us to derive intrinsic properties. Intermediate bursts are less energetic and have dimmer afterglows than long GRBs, especially when considering the X-ray light curves, which are on average one order of magnitude fainter than long bursts. There is a less significant trend in the redshift distribution that places intermediate bursts closer than long bursts. Except for this, intermediate bursts show similar properties to long bursts. In particular, they follow the Epeak vs. Eiso correlation and have, on average, positive spectral lags with a distribution similar to that of long bursts. Like long GRBs, they normally have an associated supernova, although some intermediate bursts have shown no supernova component. This study shows that intermediate bursts are different from short bursts and, in spite of sharing many properties with long bursts, there are some differences between them as well. We suggest that the physical difference between intermediate and long bursts could be that for the first the ejecta are thin shells while for the latter they are thick shells.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2009

Anomalous grouping of some short BATSE GRBs

The power spectra of 457 short BATSE bursts were analyzed, focusing on the 64 ms lightcurves' tails in the low energy bands. Using MC simulations, 22 GRBs were identified with unusually high harmonic power above 0.03 Hz. The sky distribution of these bursts shows an extraordinarily strong dipole moment with a 99.994% significance.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2009

A long and homogeneous optical monitoring of the 'naked-eye' burst GRB 080319B with the Palomar-60 telescope

GRB 080319B is one of the brightest and most extensively sampled bursts. It has good coverage at many wavelengths. Here we present the optical observations of the Palomar 60 inch telescope, which spans a long time interval after the burst. We augment the optical dataset with freely available Swift BAT and XRT observations reduced by us. We also compare our conclusions with the published parameters from the rich literature about this burst.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2009

The effect of annealing on the RHESSI gamma-ray detectors

The performance of nine RHESSI germanium detectors has been gradually deteriorating since its launch in 2002 because of radiation damage caused by passing through the Earth's radiation belts. To restore its former sensitivity, the spectrometer underwent an annealing procedure in November 2007. It, however, changed the RHESSI response and affected gamma-ray burst measurements, e.g., the hardness ratios and the spectral capabilities bellow approximately 100 keV.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2009

A search for gravitational lensing effects in Fermi GRB data

As GRBs trace the high-z Universe, there is a non-negligible probability of a lensing effect being imprinted on the lightcurves of the bursts. We propose to search for lensed candidates with a cross-correlation method, by looking at bursts days to years apart coming from the same part of the sky. We look for similarities and hypothesize a Singular Isothermal Sphere (SIS) model for the lens. A lensed pair would enable us to constrain the mass of the lensing object. Our search did not reveal any gravitationally lensed events.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2009

SWIFT and BATSE bursts' classification

Two classes of gamma-ray bursts were identified in the BATSE catalogs characterized by their durations. There were also some indications for the existence of a third type of gamma-ray bursts. Swift satellite detectors have different spectral sensitivity than pre-Swift ones for GRBs. Therefore in this paper we analyze the bursts' duration distribution and also the duration-hardness bivariate distribution, published in The First BAT Catalog. Similarly to the BATSE data, to explain the BAT GRBs' duration distribution three components are needed. Although, the relative frequencies of the groups are different than they were in the BATSE GRB sample, the difference in the instrument spectral sensitivities can explain this bias in a natural way. This means theoretical models may have to explain three different type of gamma-ray bursts.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2009

Detection of the high z GRB 080913 and its implications on progenitors and energy extraction mechanisms

Aims: We present multiwavelength observations of one of the most distant gamma-ray bursts detected so far, GRB 080913. Based on these observations, we consider whether it could be classified as a short-duration GRB and discuss the implications for the progenitor nature and energy extraction mechanisms. Methods: Multiwavelength X-ray, near IR and millimetre observations were made between 20.7 hours and 16.8 days after the event. Results: Whereas a very faint afterglow was seen at the 3.5m CAHA telescope in the nIR, the X-ray afterglow was clearly detected in both Swift and XMM-Newton observations. An upper limit is reported in the mm range. We have modeled the data assuming a collimated $θ_0$ $\gtrsim$ 3$^\circ$ blast wave with an energy injection at 0.5 days carrying $5\sim 10^{52}$ erg or approximately 12 times the initial energy of the blast wave. We find that GRB 080913 shares many of the gamma-ray diagnostics with the more recent burst GRB 090423 for being classified as short had they ocurred at low redshift. If the progenitor were a compact binary merger, it is likely composed by a NS and BH. The Blandford-Znajek (BZ) mechanism is the preferred one to extract energy from the central, maximally-rotating BH. Both the magnetic field close to the event horizon (B) and the BH mass ($M_{bh}$) are restricted within a relatively narrow range, such that $(B / 3\times 10^{16} \rm{G}) (M_{bh} / 7 M_\odot) \sim 1$. Similar constraints on the central BH hold for collapsar-like progenitor systems if the BZ-mechanism works for the system at hand.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2009

Analysis of the Swift Gamma-Ray Bursts duration

Two classes of gamma-ray bursts have been identified in the BATSE catalogs characterized by durations shorter and longer than about 2 seconds. There are, however, some indications for the existence of a third type of burst. Swift satellite detectors have different spectral sensitivity than pre-Swift ones for gamma-ray bursts. Therefore it is worth to reanalyze the durations and their distribution and also the classification of GRBs. Using The First BAT Catalog the maximum likelihood estimation was used to analyzed the duration distribution of GRBs. The three log-normal fit is significantly (99.54 % probability) better than the two for the duration distribution. Monte-Carlo simulations also confirm this probability (99.2 %).

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2009

Optical observational biases in the GRB redshift

The measured redshifts of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which were first detected by the Swift satellite, seem to be bigger on average than the redshifts of GRBs detected by other satellites. We analyzed the redshift distribution of GRBs triggered and observed by different satellites (Swift, HETE2, BeppoSax, Ulyssses). After considering the possible biases {significant difference was found at the p=95.70% level in the redshift distributions of GRBs measured by HETE and the Swift.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2009

Observational difference between gamma and X-ray properties of optically dark and bright GRBs

Using the discriminant analysis of the multivariate statistical analysis we compared the distribution of the physical quantities of the optically dark and bright GRBs, detected by the BAT and XRT on board of the Swift Satellite. We found that the GRBs having detected optical transients (OT) have systematically higher peak fluxes and lower HI column densities than those without OT.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2009

Combined Swift BAT-XRT Lightcurves

In this paper we make an attempt to combine the two kinds of data from the Swift-XRT instrument (windowed timing and photon counting modes) and the from BAT. A thorough desription of the applied procedure will be given. We apply various binning techniques to the different data: Bayes blocks, exponential binning and signal-to-noise type of binning. We present a handful of lightcurves and some possible applications.

astro-ph.CO↗