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GRB110721A: An extreme peak energy and signatures of the photosphere

  • M. Axelsson
  • , L. Baldini
  • , G. Barbiellini
  • , M. G. Baring
  • , R. Bellazzini
  • , J. Bregeon
  • , M. Brigida
  • , P. Bruel
  • , R. Buehler
  • , G. A. Caliandro
  • , R. A. Cameron
  • , P. A. Caraveo
  • , C. Cecchi
  • , R. C.G. Chaves
  • , A. Chekhtman
  • , J. Chiang
  • , R. Claus
  • , J. Conrad
  • , S. Cutini
  • , F. D'Ammando
  • F. De Palma, C. D. Dermer, E. Do Couto E Silva, P. S. Drell, C. Favuzzi, S. J. Fegan, E. C. Ferrara, W. B. Focke, Y. Fukazawa, P. Fusco, F. Gargano, D. Gasparrini, N. Gehrels, S. Germani, N. Giglietto, M. Giroletti, G. Godfrey, S. Guiriec, D. Hadasch, Y. Hanabata, M. Hayashida, X. Hou, S. Iyyani, M. S. Jackson, D. Kocevski, M. Kuss, J. Larsson, S. Larsson, F. Longo, F. Loparco, C. Lundman, M. N. Mazziotta, J. E. McEnery, T. Mizuno, M. E. Monzani, E. Moretti, A. Morselli, S. Murgia, E. Nuss, T. Nymark, M. Ohno, N. Omodei, M. Pesce-Rollins, F. Piron, G. Pivato, J. L. Racusin, S. Rainò, M. Razzano, S. Razzaque, A. Reimer, M. Roth, F. Ryde, D. A. Sanchez, C. Sgrò, E. J. Siskind, G. Spandre, P. Spinelli, M. Stamatikos, L. Tibaldo, M. Tinivella, T. L. Usher, J. Vandenbroucke, V. Vasileiou, G. Vianello, V. Vitale, A. P. Waite, B. L. Winer, K. S. Wood, J. M. Burgess, P. N. Bhat, E. Bissaldi, M. S. Briggs, V. Connaughton, G. Fishman, G. Fitzpatrick, S. Foley, D. Gruber, R. M. Kippen, C. Kouveliotou, P. Jenke, S. McBreen, S. McGlynn, C. Meegan, W. S. Paciesas, V. Pelassa, R. Preece, D. Tierney, A. Von Kienlin, C. Wilson-Hodge, S. Xiong, A. Pe'Er
  • KTH Royal Institute of Technology
  • Stockholm University
  • Oskar Klein Centre
  • Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
  • INFN Sezione di Trieste
  • University of Trieste
  • Rice University
  • Politecnico di Bari
  • INFN Sezione di Bari
  • Stanford University
  • University of Sheffield
  • INAF Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Milan
  • INFN Sezione di Perugia
  • University of Perugia
  • Universite Paris-Saclay
  • George Mason University
  • Science and Research Directorate
  • INAF Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo
  • INAF-IASF
  • Naval Research Laboratory
  • NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
  • Hiroshima University
  • INAF Istituto di Radioastronomia
  • Kyoto University
  • UMR 5797
  • University of Maryland
  • Sezione di Roma
  • Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier
  • ISAS/JAXA
  • University of Padova
  • University of California at Santa Cruz
  • Medical University of Innsbruck
  • University of Washington
  • Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik
  • NYCB Real-Time Computing Inc.
  • The Ohio State University
  • INFN
  • Consorzio Interuniversitario per la Fisica Spaziale (CIFS)
  • University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
  • Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research
  • NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
  • University College Dublin
  • Max Planck Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik
  • MST-8, Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Technical University of Munich
  • Universities Space Research Association
  • Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

172 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

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 24.5s (in the GBM) and had a peak flux of (5.7 ± 0.2) × 10 -5ergs-1cm-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 ± 2MeV, 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 10-100MeV 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 80keV, and the decay showed a significant break after 2s. The spectrum provides strong constraints on the standard synchrotron model, indicating that alternative mechanisms may give rise to the emission at these energies.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberL31
JournalAstrophysical Journal Letters
Volume757
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2012

Keywords

  • gamma-ray burst: general
  • gamma-ray burst: individual (GRB110721A)
  • radiation mechanisms: thermal

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