Observations Of Particle Acceleration In The Blast Waves Of Gamma-ray Bursts

Details Observations Of Particle Acceleration In The Blast Waves Of Gamma-ray Bursts Observations Of Particle Acceleration In The Blast Waves Of Gamma-ray Bursts

Feb 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010head...11.1414c&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, HEAD meeting #11, #14.14; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.677

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

The electron energy distribution index, p, is a fundamental parameter of the process by which electrons are accelerated to relativistic speeds and by which they radiate, via synchrotron emission. This acceleration process is applicable to a myriad of astronomical sources, from jet sources such as AGN, X-ray binaries and gamma-ray bursts, to particle acceleration in the solar wind and supernovae, and the acceleration of cosmic rays. The accurate measurement of the distribution of p is of fundamental importance to differentiate between the possible theories of electron acceleration at any relativistic shock front.
There is division as to whether the electron energy distribution index has a universal value or whether it has a distribution, and if so, what that distribution is. In this presentation we examine one such source of synchrotron emission: the blast waves of gamma-ray bursts. Using our unique Monte Carlo method, we examine the constraints placed on the distribution of p by the observed spectral indices of gamma-ray bursts and parametrize the distribution. We find that the observed distribution of spectral indices is inconsistent with a discrete value of p, but consistent with a Gaussian distribution centred at p 2.4 and having a width of 0.6. This finding rules out the theoretical work that argues for a single, universal value of p, but also demonstrates that the width of the distribution is not as wide as has been suggested by some authors.

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