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Title: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF FERMI GAMMA-RAY BURST DATA. II. E{sub p} EVOLUTION PATTERNS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE OBSERVED SPECTRUM-LUMINOSITY RELATIONS

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal
; ; ;  [1];  [2]; ;  [3]
  1. Department of Physics and GXU-NAOC Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004 (China)
  2. Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)
  3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154 (United States)

We present a time-resolved spectral analysis of 51 long and 11 short bright gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed with the Fermi/Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor, paying special attention to E{sub p} evolution within each burst. Among eight single-pulse long GRBs, five show an evolution from hard to soft, while three show intensity tracking. The multi-pulse long GRBs have more complicated patterns. Statistically, the hard-to-soft evolution pulses tend to be more asymmetric than the intensity-tracking ones, with a steeper rising wing than the falling wing. Short GRBs have E{sub p} tracking intensity exclusively with the 16 ms time-resolution analysis. We performed a simulation analysis and suggest that for at least some bursts, the late intensity-tracking pulses could be a consequence of overlapping hard-to-soft pulses. However, the fact that the intensity-tracking pattern exists in the first pulse of the multi-pulse long GRBs and some single-pulse GRBs, suggests that intensity tracking is an independent component, which may operate in some late pulses as well. For the GRBs with measured redshifts, we present a time-resolved E{sub p} - L{sub {gamma},iso} correlation analysis and show that the scatter of the correlation is comparable to that of the global Amati/Yonetoku relation. We discuss the predictions of various radiation models regarding E{sub p} evolution, as well as the possibility of a precessing jet in GRBs. The data pose a great challenge to each of these models, and hold the key to unveiling the physics behind GRB prompt emission.

OSTI ID:
22092396
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 756, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English