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Title: GRB110721A: AN EXTREME PEAK ENERGY AND SIGNATURES OF THE PHOTOSPHERE

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal Letters
 [1]; ; ;  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6]; ; ; ;  [7];  [8];  [9]; ;  [10];  [11];  [12];  [13];  [14] more »; « less
  1. Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden)
  2. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy)
  3. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste (Italy)
  4. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, MS-108, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251 (United States)
  5. Dipartimento di Fisica 'M. Merlin' dell'Universita e del Politecnico di Bari, I-70126 Bari (Italy)
  6. Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, Ecole polytechnique, CNRS/IN2P3, Palaiseau (France)
  7. W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)
  8. Institut de Ciencies de l'Espai (IEEE-CSIC), Campus UAB, E-08193 Barcelona (Spain)
  9. INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, I-20133 Milano (Italy)
  10. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia, I-06123 Perugia (Italy)
  11. Laboratoire AIM, CEA-IRFU/CNRS/Universite Paris Diderot, Service d'Astrophysique, CEA Saclay, F-91191 Gif sur Yvette (France)
  12. Center for Earth Observing and Space Research, College of Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030 (United States)
  13. Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden)
  14. Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Science Data Center, I-00044 Frascati (Roma) (Italy)

GRB110721A was observed by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope using its two instruments, the Large Area Telescope (LAT) and the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM). The burst consisted of one major emission episode which lasted for {approx}24.5 s (in the GBM) and had a peak flux of (5.7 {+-} 0.2) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -5} erg s{sup -1} cm{sup -2}. The time-resolved emission spectrum is best modeled with a combination of a Band function and a blackbody spectrum. The peak energy of the Band component was initially 15 {+-} 2 MeV, which is the highest value ever detected in a GRB. This measurement was made possible by combining GBM/BGO data with LAT Low Energy events to achieve continuous 10-100 MeV coverage. The peak energy later decreased as a power law in time with an index of -1.89 {+-} 0.10. The temperature of the blackbody component also decreased, starting from {approx}80 keV, and the decay showed a significant break after {approx}2 s. The spectrum provides strong constraints on the standard synchrotron model, indicating that alternative mechanisms may give rise to the emission at these energies.

OSTI ID:
22078521
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 757, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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