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Dynamics and Emission of Wind-powered Afterglows of Gamma-Ray Bursts: Flares, Plateaus, and Steep Decays.
- Source :
-
Astrophysical Journal . 2/1/2021, Vol. 907 Issue 2, p1-18. 18p. - Publication Year :
- 2021
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Abstract
- We have developed a model of early X-ray afterglows of gamma-ray bursts originating from the reverse shock (RS) propagating through ultrarelativistic, highly magnetized pulsar-like winds produced by long-lasting central engines. We first performed fluid and magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulations of relativistic double explosions. We demonstrate that even for constant properties of the wind a variety of temporal behaviors can be produced, depending on the energy of the initial explosion and the wind power, the delay time for the switch-on of the wind, and the magnetization of the wind. X-ray emission of the highly magnetized RS occurs in the fast-cooling regime—this ensures high radiative efficiency and allows fast intensity variations. We demonstrate that (i) RS emission naturally produces light curves, showing power-law temporal evolution with various temporal indices; (ii) mild wind power, of the order of ∼1046 erg s−1 (equivalent isotropic), can reproduce the afterglows' plateau phase; (iii) termination of the wind can produce sudden steep decays; and (iv) short-duration afterglow flares are due to mild variations in the wind luminosity, with small total injected energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *GAMMA ray bursts
*WIND power
*LIGHT curves
*COMPUTER simulation
*X-rays
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0004637X
- Volume :
- 907
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Astrophysical Journal
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 149101669
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/abd5c2