A study of the temporal and spectral characteristics of gamma ray bursts
Gamma-ray burst data obtained from the ISEE-3 Gamma Ray Burst Spectrometer and the Solar Maximum Mission's Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer (HXRBS) were analyzed to yield information on burst temporal and spectral characteristics. A Monte Carlo approach was used to simulate the HXRBS response to candidate spectral models. At energies above about 100 keV, the spectra are well fit by exponential forms. At lower energies, 30 keV to 60 keV, depressions below the model continua are apparent in some bursts. The depressions are not instrumental or data-reduction artifacts. The event selection criterion of the ISEE-3 experiment is based on the time to accumulate a present number of photons rather than the photon count per unit time and is consequently independent of event duration for a given burst intensity, unlike most conventional systems. As a result, a significantly greater percentage of fast, narrow events have been detected. The ratio of count rates from two ISEE-3 detectors indicates that bursts with durations or aprox. one second have much softer spectra than longer bursts.
- Research Organization:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD (USA). Goddard Space Flight Center
- OSTI ID:
- 6654168
- Report Number(s):
- N-8330350; NASA-TM-85031
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
Radio
& X-Ray Sources-- (-1987)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMIC GAMMA BURSTS
COSMIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY SPECTRA
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MONTE CARLO METHOD
PHOTONS
PRIMARY COSMIC RADIATION
RADIATIONS
SPECTRA
TIME DEPENDENCE