Hirotaka Ito

We explore the properties of photospheric emission in the context of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) using three numerical models that combine relativistic hydrodynamical simulations and Monte Carlo radiation transfer calculations in three dimensions. Our simulations confirm that photospheric emission gives rise to correlations between the spectral peak energy and luminosity that agree with the observed Yonetoku, Amati, and Golenetskii correlations. It is also shown that the spectral peak energy and luminosity correlate with the bulk Lorentz factor, as indicated in the literature. On the other hand, synthetic spectral shapes tend to be narrower than those of the observations. This result indicates that an additional physical process that can provide nonthermal broadening is needed to reproduce the spectral features. Furthermore, the polarization analysis finds that, while the degree of polarization is low for the emission from the jet core (Π < 4%), it tends to increase with viewing angle outside of the core and can be as high as Π ∼ 20%–40% in an extreme case. This suggests that the typical GRBs show systematically low polarization compared to softer, dimmer counterparts (X-ray-rich GRBs and X-ray flashes). Interestingly, our simulations indicate that photospheric emission exhibits large temporal variation in the polarization position angle (Δψ ∼ 90°), which may be compatible with those inferred in observations. A notable energy dependence of the polarization property is another characteristic feature found in the current study. Particularly, the difference in the position angle among different energy bands can be as large as ∼90°.

The prompt emission of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) is still an outstanding question in the study of these cataclysmic events. Part of what makes GRBs difficult to study is how unique each event seems to be. However, aggregating many GRB observations and analyzing the population allows us to obtain a better understanding of the emission mechanism that produces the observed prompt emission. In this review, we outline some of the most prevalent correlations that have emerged from GRB prompt emission observations and how these correlations are interpreted in relation to physical properties and prompt emission models of GRB.

The prompt emission of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) is still an outstanding question in the study of these cataclysmic events. Part of what makes GRBs difficult to study is how unique each event seems to be. However, aggregating many GRB observations and analyzing the population allows us to obtain a better understanding of the emission mechanism that produces the observed prompt emission. In this review, we outline some of the most prevalent correlations that have emerged from GRB prompt emission observations and how these correlations are interpreted in relation to GRB physical properties and prompt emission models.

We extend previous work on gamma-ray burst afterglows involving hot thermal electrons at the base of a shock-accelerated tail. Using a physically motivated electron distribution based on first-principles simulations, we compute the broadband emission from radio to TeV gamma rays. For the first time, we present the effects of a thermal distribution of electrons on synchrotron self-Compton emission. The presence of thermal electrons causes temporal and spectral structure across the entire observable afterglow, which is substantively different from models that assume a pure power-law distribution for the electrons. We show that early-time TeV emission is enhanced by more than an order of magnitude for our fiducial parameters, with a time-varying spectral index that does not occur for a pure power law of electrons. We further show that the X-ray closure relations take a very different, also time-dependent, form when thermal electrons are present; the shape traced out by the X-ray afterglows is a qualitative match to observations of the traditional decay phase.

We present the first global model of prompt emission from a short gamma-ray burst (GRB) that consistently describes the evolution of the central black hole (BH) torus system, the propagation of the jet through multicomponent merger ejecta, the transition into free expansion, and the photospheric emission from the relativistic jet. To this end, we perform a special relativistic neutrino-hydrodynamics simulation of a viscous BH-torus system, which is formed about 500 ms after the merger and is surrounded by dynamical ejecta as well as neutron star winds, along with a jet that is injected in the vicinity of the central BH. In a postprocessing step, we compute the photospheric emission using a relativistic Monte Carlo radiative transfer code. It is found that the wind from the torus leaves a strong imprint on the jet as well as on the emission, causing narrow collimation and rapid time variability. The dependence of the emission on viewing angle gives rise to correlations among the spectral peak energy, E _p , isotropic energy, E _iso, and peak luminosity, L _p , which may provide natural explanations for the Amati and Yonetoku relations. We also find that the degree of polarization is small for emission from the jet core (≲2%), while it tends to increase with viewing angle outside the core and can become as high as ∼10%–40% for energies larger than the peak energy. Finally, the comparison of our model with GRB 170817A strongly disfavors the photospheric emission scenario and therefore supports alternative scenarios, such as cocoon shock breakout.

Strong explosion of a compact star surrounded by a thick stellar wind drives a fast (>0.1c) radiation mediated shock (RMS) that propagates in the wind, and ultimately breaks out gradually once photons start escaping from the shock transition layer. In exceptionally strong or aspherical explosions, the shock velocity may even be relativistic. The properties of the breakout signal depend on the dynamics and structure of the shock during the breakout phase. Here we present, for the first time, spectra and light curves of the breakout emission of fast Newtonian and mildly relativistic shocks, that were calculated using self-consistent Monte Carlo simulations of finite RMS with radiative losses. We find a strong dependence of the νFν peak on shock velocity, ranging from ∼1 keV for vs/c = 0.1 to ∼100 keV for vs/c = 0.5, with a shift to lower energies as losses increase. For all cases studied the spectrum below the peak exhibits a nearly flat component (Fν ∼ ν0) that extends down to the break frequency below which absorption becomes important. This implies much bright optical/ultraviolet emission than hitherto expected. The computed light curves show a gradual rise over tens to hundreds of seconds for representative conditions. The application to SN 2008D/XRT 080109 and the detectability limits are also discussed. We predict a detection rate of about one per year with eROSITA.

Radiation-mediated shocks (RMS) play a key role in shaping the early emission observed in many transients. In most cases, e.g. shock breakout in supernovae, llGRBs, and neutron star mergers, the upstream plasma is devoid of radiation, and the photons that ultimately reach the observer are generated predominantly inside and downstream of the shock. Predicting the observed spectrum requires detailed calculations of the shock structure and thermodynamic state that account properly for the shock microphysics. We present results of self-consistent Monte Carlo simulations of photon-starved RMS, which yield the shock structure and emission for a broad range of shock velocities, from subrelativistic (βsh = 0.1) to highly relativistic (Γsh = 20). Our simulations confirm that in relativistic RMS the immediate downstream temperature is regulated by exponential pair creation, ranging from 50 keV at βsh = 0.5–200 keV at Γsh = 20. At lower velocities, the temperature becomes sensitive to the shock velocity, with kT ∼ 0.5 keV at βsh = 0.1. We also confirm that in relativistic shocks the opacity is completely dominated by newly created pairs, which has important implications for the breakout physics. We find the transition to pair dominance to occur at βsh = 0.5 roughly. In all cases examined, the spectrum below the νFν peak has been found to be substantially softer than the Planck distribution. This has important implications for the optical emission in fast and relativistic breakouts, and their detection. The applications to GRB 060218 and GRB 170817A are discussed.