TEMPORAL DECONVOLUTION STUDY OF LONG AND SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURST LIGHT CURVES

Journal Article · Tue Jan 10 00:00:00 EST 2012 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/744/2/141· OSTI ID:22004195

Bhat, P N; Briggs, Michael S; Connaughton, Valerie; Paciesas, William; Burgess, Michael; Chaplin, Vandiver; Goldstein, Adam; Guiriec, Sylvain ^[1]; Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Fishman, Gerald ^[2]; Van der Horst, Alexander J; Meegan, Charles A ^[3]; Bissaldi, Elisabetta ^[4]; Diehl, Roland; Foley, Suzanne; Greiner, Jochen; Gruber, David ^[5]; Fitzpatrick, Gerard ^[6]; Gibby, Melissa; Giles, Misty M ^[7] ; others, and

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1. Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR), University of Alabama in Huntsville, NSSTC, 320 Sparkman Drive, Huntsville, AL 35805 (United States)
2. Space Science Office, VP62, NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States)
3. Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR), Universities Space Research Association, NSSTC, 320 Sparkman Drive, Huntsville, AL 35805 (United States)
4. Institute of Astro and Particle Physics, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, 6020 Innsbruck (Austria)
5. Max-Planck-Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse 1, 85748 Garching (Germany)
6. School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Stillorgan Road, Dublin 4 (Ireland)
7. Jacobs Technology, Inc., Huntsville, AL 35806 (United States)

The light curves of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are believed to result from internal shocks reflecting the activity of the GRB central engine. Their temporal deconvolution can reveal potential differences in the properties of the central engines in the two populations of GRBs which are believed to originate from the deaths of massive stars (long) and from mergers of compact objects (short). We present here the results of the temporal analysis of 42 GRBs detected with the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. We deconvolved the profiles into pulses, which we fit with lognormal functions. The distributions of the pulse shape parameters and intervals between neighboring pulses are distinct for both burst types and also fit with lognormal functions. We have studied the evolution of these parameters in different energy bands and found that they differ between long and short bursts. We discuss the implications of the differences in the temporal properties of long and short bursts within the framework of the internal shock model for GRB prompt emission.

• OSTI ID: 22004195
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 744, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
COSMIC GAMMA BURSTS
DATA ANALYSIS
GALACTIC EVOLUTION
GAMMA RADIATION
PULSE SHAPERS
PULSES
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS
TELESCOPES