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Are gamma-ray bursts the same at high redshift and low redshift?

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Littlejohns, O. M., Tanvir, Nial R., Willingale, R. (Richard), Evans, P. A. (Phil A.), O'Brien, P. T. (Paul T.) and Levan, Andrew J. (2013) Are gamma-ray bursts the same at high redshift and low redshift? Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 436 (Number 4). pp. 3640-3655. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1841

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stt1841

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Abstract

The majority of Swift gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed at z ≳ 6 have prompt durations of T90 ≲ 30 s, which, at first sight, is surprising given that cosmological time dilation means this corresponds to ≲5 s in their rest frames. We have tested whether the high-redshift GRBs are consistent with being drawn from the same population as those observed at low redshift by comparing them to an artificially redshifted sample of 114 z < 4 bursts. This is accomplished using two methods to produce realistic high-z simulations of light curves based on the observed characteristics of the low-z sample. In Method 1 we use the Swift/Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) data directly, taking the photons detected in the harder bands to predict what would be seen in the softest energy band if the burst were seen at higher z. In Method 2 we fit the light curves with a model, and use that to extrapolate the expected behaviour over the whole BAT energy range at any redshift. Based on the results of Method 2, a Kolmogorov–Smirnov test of their durations finds a ∼1 per cent probability that the high-z GRB sample is drawn from the same population as the bright low-z sample. Although apparently marginally significant, we must bear in mind that this test was partially a posteriori, since the rest-frame short durations of several high-z bursts motivated the study in the first instance.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy
Divisions: Faculty of Science > Physics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Gamma ray bursts, Red shift
Journal or Publication Title: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISSN: 0035-8711
Official Date: 2013
Dates:
DateEvent
2013Published
Volume: Volume 436
Number: Number 4
Page Range: pp. 3640-3655
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stt1841
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Restricted or Subscription Access
Funder: Science and Technology Facilities Council (Great Britain) (STFC), UK Space Agency

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