Fermi GBM Observations of GRB 150101B: A Second Nearby Event with a Short Hard Spike and a Soft Tail [HEAP]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1807.02866


In light of the joint multimessenger detection of a binary neutron star merger as the gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A and in gravitational waves as GW170817, we reanalyze the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor data of the third closest short gamma-ray burst: GRB 150101B. We find this burst is composed of a short hard spike followed by a comparatively long soft tail. This apparent two-component nature is phenomenologically similar to that of GRB 170817A. While GRB 170817A was distinct from the previously known population of short gamma-ray bursts, GRB 150101B is not. Despite these differences, GRB 150101B can be modeled as a more on-axis version of GRB 170817A. Identifying a similar signature in both the first and third closest short gamma-ray bursts suggests the soft tail is ubiquitous, but generally undetectable in more distant events. If so, it will be possible to identify nearby short gamma-ray bursts from the prompt gamma-ray emission alone, aiding the search for kilonova.

Read this paper on arXiv…

E. Burns, P. Veres, V. Connaughton, et. al.
Tue, 10 Jul 18
11/79

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