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HEAO-1 observations of gamma-ray bursts

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:7059271

The hard x-ray and low-energy gamma-ray experiment on the first High Energy Astronomical Observatory (HEAO-1), which operated from August, 1977 to January, 1979, detected 21 bursts above a limiting fluence sensitivity of 2 x 10/sup -7/ ergs/cm/sup 2/. The measurement of spectral features confirms the neutron-star origin for gamma-ray bursts. An emission line at 428 +/- 52 keV and an absorption line at 66 +/- 7 keV were measured in the spectrum of a burst on June 8, 1978. On March 25, 1978, the absorption line shifted from 76 +/- 5 keV to 49 +/- 3 keV from one emission peak to another, the first time that this effect has been observed. Measurements of both line and continuum variation demonstrate that these features are not artifacts of temporal averaging or spectral superposition. Limits on the source conditions derived from the line and continuum observations lead to a description of burst emission in which the

Research Organization:
California Univ., San Diego (USA)
OSTI ID:
7059271
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English