Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
1999-04-14
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
21 pages, 10 figures, submitted to ApJ
Scientific paper
10.1086/308682
We study the spectral signatures arising from cooling and recombination of an interstellar medium whose equilibrium state has been altered over \sim 100 pc by the radiation of a Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) and its afterglow. We identify signatures in the line diagnostics which are indicative of a photo-ionized GRB remnant which is \la 5 x 10^4 years old . We estimate that at least a few such remnants should be detectable in the Virgo cluster of galaxies. If the gamma-ray emission from GRBs is beamed to a fraction f_b of their sky, then the expected number of Virgo remnants is larger by a factor of f_b^{-1}. Virgo remnants can be resolved with arcsecond imaging, and are likely to be center-filled using narrow-band filters of high ionization lines (such as [O III] \lambda5007 or He II \lambda4686), and limb-brightened for low-ionization lines (such as [S II] \lambda6717). The non-relativistic blast wave might be visible separately, since it does not reach the outer edge of these young photo-ionized remnants. The remnants should show evidence for ionization cones if the prompt or afterglow UV emission from GRBs is beamed.
Loeb Abraham
Perna Rosalba
Raymond John
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