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Title: NuSTAR OBSERVATIONS OF GRB 130427A ESTABLISH A SINGLE COMPONENT SYNCHROTRON AFTERGLOW ORIGIN FOR THE LATE OPTICAL TO MULTI-GEV EMISSION

Abstract

GRB 130427A occurred in a relatively nearby galaxy; its prompt emission had the largest GRB fluence ever recorded. The afterglow of GRB 130427A was bright enough for the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ARray (NuSTAR) to observe it in the 3-79 keV energy range long after its prompt emission (∼1.5 and 5 days). This range, where afterglow observations were previously not possible, bridges an important spectral gap. Combined with Swift, Fermi, and ground-based optical data, NuSTAR observations unambiguously establish a single afterglow spectral component from optical to multi-GeV energies a day after the event, which is almost certainly synchrotron radiation. Such an origin of the late-time Fermi/Large Area Telescope >10 GeV photons requires revisions in our understanding of collisionless relativistic shock physics.

Authors:
 [1];  [2]; ; ; ;  [3]; ;  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7]; ;  [8];  [9];  [10];  [11]; ;  [12];  [13]
  1. Astrophysics Office/ZP12, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States)
  2. Department of Natural Sciences, The Open University of Israel, 1 University Road, P.O. Box 808, Ra'anana 43537 (Israel)
  3. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
  4. Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
  5. 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)
  6. Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT (United Kingdom)
  7. CCS-2, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)
  8. Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)
  9. DTU Space-National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, 2800 Lyngby (Denmark)
  10. Code 7653, National Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5352 (United States)
  11. Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States)
  12. INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (Italy)
  13. Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool Science Park, Liverpool L3 5RF (United Kingdom)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22364101
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 779; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ACCELERATION; AFTERGLOW; ASTROPHYSICS; COSMIC GAMMA BURSTS; COSMIC PHOTONS; GALAXIES; GEV RANGE; MAGNETIC FIELDS; RELATIVISTIC RANGE; SHOCK WAVES; SYNCHROTRON RADIATION; TELESCOPES

Citation Formats

Kouveliotou, C., Granot, J., Racusin, J. L., Gehrels, N., McEnery, J. E., Zhang, W. W., Bellm, E., Harrison, F. A., Vianello, G., Oates, S., Fryer, C. L., Boggs, S. E., Craig, W. W., Christensen, F. E., Dermer, C. D., Hailey, C. J., Melandri, A., Tagliaferri, G., Mundell, C. G., and Stern, D. K., E-mail: chryssa.kouveliotou@nasa.gov, E-mail: granot@openu.ac.il, E-mail: judith.racusin@nasa.gov. NuSTAR OBSERVATIONS OF GRB 130427A ESTABLISH A SINGLE COMPONENT SYNCHROTRON AFTERGLOW ORIGIN FOR THE LATE OPTICAL TO MULTI-GEV EMISSION. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/779/1/L1.
Kouveliotou, C., Granot, J., Racusin, J. L., Gehrels, N., McEnery, J. E., Zhang, W. W., Bellm, E., Harrison, F. A., Vianello, G., Oates, S., Fryer, C. L., Boggs, S. E., Craig, W. W., Christensen, F. E., Dermer, C. D., Hailey, C. J., Melandri, A., Tagliaferri, G., Mundell, C. G., & Stern, D. K., E-mail: chryssa.kouveliotou@nasa.gov, E-mail: granot@openu.ac.il, E-mail: judith.racusin@nasa.gov. NuSTAR OBSERVATIONS OF GRB 130427A ESTABLISH A SINGLE COMPONENT SYNCHROTRON AFTERGLOW ORIGIN FOR THE LATE OPTICAL TO MULTI-GEV EMISSION. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/779/1/L1
Kouveliotou, C., Granot, J., Racusin, J. L., Gehrels, N., McEnery, J. E., Zhang, W. W., Bellm, E., Harrison, F. A., Vianello, G., Oates, S., Fryer, C. L., Boggs, S. E., Craig, W. W., Christensen, F. E., Dermer, C. D., Hailey, C. J., Melandri, A., Tagliaferri, G., Mundell, C. G., and Stern, D. K., E-mail: chryssa.kouveliotou@nasa.gov, E-mail: granot@openu.ac.il, E-mail: judith.racusin@nasa.gov. 2013. "NuSTAR OBSERVATIONS OF GRB 130427A ESTABLISH A SINGLE COMPONENT SYNCHROTRON AFTERGLOW ORIGIN FOR THE LATE OPTICAL TO MULTI-GEV EMISSION". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/779/1/L1.
@article{osti_22364101,
title = {NuSTAR OBSERVATIONS OF GRB 130427A ESTABLISH A SINGLE COMPONENT SYNCHROTRON AFTERGLOW ORIGIN FOR THE LATE OPTICAL TO MULTI-GEV EMISSION},
author = {Kouveliotou, C. and Granot, J. and Racusin, J. L. and Gehrels, N. and McEnery, J. E. and Zhang, W. W. and Bellm, E. and Harrison, F. A. and Vianello, G. and Oates, S. and Fryer, C. L. and Boggs, S. E. and Craig, W. W. and Christensen, F. E. and Dermer, C. D. and Hailey, C. J. and Melandri, A. and Tagliaferri, G. and Mundell, C. G. and Stern, D. K., E-mail: chryssa.kouveliotou@nasa.gov, E-mail: granot@openu.ac.il, E-mail: judith.racusin@nasa.gov},
abstractNote = {GRB 130427A occurred in a relatively nearby galaxy; its prompt emission had the largest GRB fluence ever recorded. The afterglow of GRB 130427A was bright enough for the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ARray (NuSTAR) to observe it in the 3-79 keV energy range long after its prompt emission (∼1.5 and 5 days). This range, where afterglow observations were previously not possible, bridges an important spectral gap. Combined with Swift, Fermi, and ground-based optical data, NuSTAR observations unambiguously establish a single afterglow spectral component from optical to multi-GeV energies a day after the event, which is almost certainly synchrotron radiation. Such an origin of the late-time Fermi/Large Area Telescope >10 GeV photons requires revisions in our understanding of collisionless relativistic shock physics.},
doi = {10.1088/2041-8205/779/1/L1},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22364101}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal Letters},
issn = {2041-8205},
number = 1,
volume = 779,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2013},
month = {Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2013}
}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Hard X-Ray/Soft Gamma-Ray Experiments and Missions: Overview and Prospects
journal, October 2017


INTEGRAL IBIS, SPI, and JEM-X observations of LVT151012
journal, July 2017


Gamma-ray bursts and their use as cosmic probes
journal, July 2017


Fermi-LAT Observations of the Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 130427A
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Induced gravitational collapse in FeCO Core–Neutron star binaries and Neutron star–Neutron star binary mergers
journal, October 2015


Teraelectronvolt emission from the γ-ray burst GRB 190114C
text, January 2019


The Origin of the Optical Flashes: The Case Study of GRB 080319B and GRB 130427A
journal, May 2018


The Bright and the Slow—GRBs 100724B and 160509A with High-energy Cutoffs at ≲100 MeV
journal, September 2018


A GRB Afterglow Model Consistent with Hypernova Observations
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Two Predictions of Supernova: GRB 130427A/SN 2013cq and GRB 180728A/SN 2018fip
journal, March 2019


Closure Relations of Gamma-Ray Bursts in High Energy Emission
journal, September 2019


Fermi and Swift Observations of GRB 190114C: Tracing the Evolution of High-energy Emission from Prompt to Afterglow
journal, February 2020


An Ordinary Short Gamma-Ray Burst with Extraordinary Implications: Fermi -GBM Detection of GRB 170817A
journal, October 2017


Teraelectronvolt emission from the γ-ray burst GRB 190114C
journal, November 2019


Constraints on very High Energy Emission from GRB 130427A
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Fermi and Swift Observations of GRB 190114C: Tracing the Evolution of High-Energy Emission from Prompt to Afterglow
text, January 2020


Modeling the early multiwavelength emission in GRB130427A
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INTEGRAL IBIS, SPI, and JEM-X observations of LVT151012
text, January 2017