Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2000-10-11
Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. 320 (2001) L25
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
5 pages, 3 figures, with final revisions
Scientific paper
10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04130.x
Although more than 2000 astronomical gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been detected, the precise progenitor responsible for these events is unknown. The temporal phenomenology observed in GRBs can significantly constrain the different models. Here we analyse the time histories of a sample of bright, long GRBs, searching for the ones exhibiting relatively long (more than 5 per cent of the total burst duration) quiescent times, defined as the intervals between adjacent episodes of emission during which the gamma-rays count rate drops to the background level. We find a quantitative relation between the duration of an emission episode and the quiescent time elapsed since the previous episode. We suggest here that the mechanism responsible for the extraction and the dissipation of energy has to take place in a meta-stable configuration, such that the longer the accumulation period, the higher is the stored energy available for the next emission episode.
Merloni Andrea
Ramirez-Ruiz Enrico
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