Gamma-ray burst spectrum with decaying magnetic field
- Yunnan Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 110, 650011 Kunming (China)
- Department of Astronomy and Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)
In the internal shock model for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the synchrotron spectrum from the fast cooling electrons in a homogeneous downstream magnetic field (MF) is too soft to produce the low-energy slope of GRB spectra. However, the MF may decay downstream with distance from the shock front. Here we show that the synchrotron spectrum becomes harder if electrons undergo synchrotron and inverse-Compton cooling in a decaying MF. To reconcile this with the typical GRB spectrum with low-energy slope νF {sub ν}∝ν, the postshock MF decay time must be comparable to the cooling time of the bulk electrons (corresponding to a MF decaying length typically of ∼10{sup 5} skin depths); that the inverse-Compton cooling should dominate synchrotron cooling after the MF decay time; and/or that the MF decays with comoving time roughly as B∝t {sup –1.5}. An internal shock synchrotron model with a decaying MF can account for the majority of GRBs with low-energy slopes not harder than ν{sup 4/3}.
- OSTI ID:
- 22348369
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 780, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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