• Title/Summary/Keyword: Gamma-Ray Astronomy

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Radiation mechanism of gamma-ray burst prompt emission

  • Uhm, Z. Lucas;Zhang, Bing
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.40 no.1
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    • pp.49.3-50
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    • 2015
  • Synchrotron radiation of relativistic electrons is an important radiation mechanism in many astrophysical sources. In the sources where the synchrotron cooling timescale is shorter than the dynamical timescale, electrons are cooled down below the minimum injection energy. It has been believed that such fast-cooling electrons have a power-law distribution in energy with an index -2, and their synchrotron radiation has a photon spectral index -1.5. On the other hand, in a transient expanding astrophysical source, such as a gamma-ray burst (GRB), the magnetic field strength in the emission region continuously decreases with radius. Here we study such a system, and find that in a certain parameter regime, the fast-cooling electrons can have a harder energy spectrum. We apply this new physical regime to GRBs, and suggest that the GRB prompt emission spectra whose low-energy photon spectral index has a typical value -1 could be due to synchrotron radiation in this moderately fast-cooling regime.

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The Relation between the Spectral Lag and the Collimation-Corrected Luminosity in Gamma-Ray Bursts

  • Jo, Yun-A;Chang, Heon-Young
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.40 no.2
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    • pp.51.3-52
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    • 2015
  • Gamma-Ray Bursts(GRBs) are the most violent event in the universe, whose detection rate is a few in a day. The spectral lag, which is commonly observed in the observed light curves of GRBs, is a difference in arrival times of the high-energy and low-energy photons. The relation between the spectral lag and the luminosity of the observed GRBs is shown to be anti-correlated in previous studies. In reported relations to date, the isotropic luminosity has been assumed. On the other hand, GRBs are likely to emit its energy through a beamed jet. In this study, we attempt to obtain the relation between the spectral lag and the collimation-corrected luminosity. We have calculated collimation-corrected luminosities and opening angles using the observed light curves taken from a database of Swift/BAT, XRT. We expect to increase its significance level by expanding a sample size compared with those previously analyzed.

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Physical mechanism of gamma-ray bursts: recent breakthroughs

  • Uhm, Z. Lucas;Zhang, Bing;Racusin, Judith
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.43 no.1
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    • pp.39.1-39.1
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    • 2018
  • Although it is agreed that the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) invoke highly relativistic jets with bulk Lorentz factors of a few hundreds, the exact physical mechanism producing such powerful gamma-rays still remains debated. Three outstanding and important questions in the field concern (1) the composition of GRB jets (i.e., matter-dominated vs Poynting-flux-dominated), (2) the involved radiative process responsible for the observed gamma-rays (i.e., synchrotron mechanism vs photospheric radiation), and (3) the distance of the emitting region from the central engine where the prompt gamma-rays are released (i.e., ~10^12 cm vs 10^14 cm vs 10^16 cm). I will present recent important breakthroughs that we have made, which answer these three questions.

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The optical afterglow of GRB 180205A

  • Paek, Gregory SungHak;Im, Myungshin;Choi, Changsu
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.43 no.1
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    • pp.59.1-59.1
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    • 2018
  • On 2018 February 5 a gamma ray burst with trigger time 04:25:29.3 UT was detected by Swift BAT and this event was named GRB 180205A. We observed the optical afterglow of GRB 180205A starting from about 1 hour after the burst until February 22 in the optical bands with the 1m telescope of Deokheung Optical Astronomy Observatory (DOAO), the 1m telescope at Mt. Lemmon Optical Astronomy Observatory(LOAO) and the 0.8m and 0.25m telescopes at McDonald Observatory. According to the fireball model, which is a well-accepted and conventional model for the afterglow of the GRB, the mechanism of the afterglow is that the expanding external blast wave of the GRB successively collides with the ambient medium and loses its energy, and as a result emits radiation at wavelengths longer than gamma rays. Here we present optical photometry and light curve of the afterglow in the R band and analyze it to characterize GRB 180205A.

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Theoretical Study of Gamma-ray Pulsars

  • Song, Yuzhe;Cheng, Kwong Sang;Takata, Jumpei
    • Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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    • v.33 no.2
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    • pp.69-73
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    • 2016
  • We use the non-stationary three dimensional two-layer outer gap model to explain gamma-ray emissions from a pulsar magnetosphere. We found out that for some pulsars like the Geminga pulsar, it was hard to explain emissions above a level of around 1 GeV. We then developed the model into a non-stationary model. In this model we assigned a power-law distribution to one or more of the spectral parameters proposed in the previous model and calculated the weighted phase-averaged spectrum. Though this model is suitable for some pulsars, it still cannot explain the high energy emission of the Geminga pulsar. An Inverse-Compton Scattering component between the primary particles and the radio photons in the outer magnetosphere was introduced into the model, and this component produced a sufficient number of GeV photons in the spectrum of the Geminga pulsar.

PRELIMINARY FEASIBILITY STUDY OF THE SOLAR OBSERVATION PAYLOADS FOR STSAT-CLASS SATELLITES

  • Moon, Yong-Jae;Cho, Kyung-Seok;Jin, Ho;Chae, Jong-Chul;Lee, Sung-Ho;Seon, Kwang-Il;Kim, Yeon-Han;Park, Young-Deuk
    • Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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    • v.21 no.4
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    • pp.329-342
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    • 2004
  • In this paper, we present preliminary feasibility studies on three types of solar observation payloads for future Korean Science and Technology Satellite (STSAT) programs. The three candidates are (1) an UV imaging telescope, (2) an UV spectrograph, and (3) an X-ray spectrometer. In the case of UV imaging telescope, the most important constraint seems to be the control stability of a satellite in order to obtain a reasonably good spatial resolution. Considering that the current pointing stability estimated from the data of the Far ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (FIMS) onboard the Korean STSAT-1, is around 1 arc minutes/sec, we think that it is hard to obtain a spatial resolution sufficient for scientific research by such an UV Imaging Telescope. For solar imaging missions, we realize that an image stabilization system, which is composed of a small guide telescope with limb sensor and a servo controller of secondary mirror, is quite essential for a very good pointing stability of about 0.1 arcsec. An UV spectrograph covering the solar full disk seems to be a good choice in that there is no risk due to poor pointing stability as well as that it can provide us with valuable UV spectral irradiance data valuable for studying their effects on the Earth's atmosphere and satellites. The heritage of the FIMS can be a great advantage of developing the UV spectrograph. Its main disadvantage is that two major missions are in operation or scheduled. Our preliminary investigations show that an X-ray spectrometer for the full disk Sun seems to be the best choice among the three candidates. The reasons are : (1) high temporal and spectral X-ray data are very essential for studying the acceleration process of energetic particles associated with solar flares, (2) we have a good heritage of X-ray detectors including a rocket-borne X-ray detector, (3) in the case of developing countries such as India and Czech, solar X-ray spectrometers were selected as their early stage satellite missions due to their poor pointing stabilities, and (4) there is no planned major mission after currently operating Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) mission. Finally, we present a preliminary design of a solar X-ray spectrometer covering soft X-ray (2 keV) to gamma ray (10 MeV).

MERGERS, COSMIC RAYS, AND NONTHERMAL PROCESSES IN CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES

  • SARAZIN CRAIG L.
    • Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.37 no.5
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    • pp.433-438
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    • 2004
  • Clusters of galaxies generally form by the gravitational merger of smaller clusters and groups. Major cluster mergers are the most energetic events in the Universe since the Big Bang. The basic properties of cluster mergers and their effects are discussed. Mergers drive shocks into the intracluster gas, and these shocks heat the intracluster gas. As a result of the impulsive heating and compression associated with mergers, there is a large transient increase in the X-ray luminosities and temperatures of merging clusters. These merger boost can affect X-ray surveys of clusters and their cosmological interpretation. Similar boosts occur in the strong lensing cross-sections and Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect in merging clusters. Merger shock and turbulence associated with mergers should also (re)accelerate nonthermal relativistic particles. As a result of particle acceleration in shocks and turbulent acceleration following mergers, clusters of galaxies should contain very large populations of relativistic electrons and ions. Observations and models for the radio, extreme ultraviolet, hard X-ray, and gamma-ray emission from nonthermal particles accelerated in these shocks will also be described. Gamma-ray observations with GLAST seem particularly promising.

An Investigation of X-ray pulsation searches: Weighted vs unweighted H test

  • Lee, Jaewon
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.46 no.2
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    • pp.52.3-52.3
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    • 2021
  • Timing analysis에서 pulsar 또는 magnetar의 pulsation 측정은 background 또는 주변의 다른 source의 영향으로 매우 세밀하게 측정을 진행해야 할 수 있다. 하지만 gamma-ray 영역에서는 instrument의 낮은 imaging resolution으로 인해 likeihood 분석법을 사용하며, pulsation측정의 sensitivity를 향상시키기 위해 weighted H-test를 적용하고 있다. weighted H-test는 Instrument의 responses와 source, background의 radiational properties를 이용하여 각 photon의 probability를 계산하고 이를 weight하여 pulsation detection의 sensitivity를 향상시키는 방법으로 이번 연구를 통해 이를 X-ray에서 적용할 수 있도록 확장하였다. 이번 발표에서는 X-ray 데이터 중 상대적으로 낮은 imaging resolution을 갖는 XMM-Newton data에 weighted H-test를 적용하여 기존의 H-test와의 차이를 비교해보고, weighted H-test가 갖는 이점에 대하여 논의하고자 한다.

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Gamma-Ray Burst Observations of YSTAR

  • Park Sun-Yup;Byun Yong-Ik;Kim Dae-Won;Shin Min-Su;Kang Yong-Woo;Han Wonyong;Yim Hong-Suh;Moon Hong-Kyu;Bae Young-Ho;Yoo Seong-Yul;Yoon Jae-Hyuk;Yoon Joh-Na
    • Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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    • 2005.04a
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    • pp.34-34
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    • 2005
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