Multipulse Fermi Gamma-Ray Bursts. I. Evidence of the Transition from Fireball to Poynting-flux-dominated Outflow

Abstract

Abstract The composition of a jet is still an unsolved problem in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Several previous studies have suggested that the prompt emission spectrum of GRBs is likely to consist of a few components that may arise from different jet compositions. Here we present a systematic analysis to search for the GRBs that seem to show the transition from a fireball to the Poynting-flux-dominated outflow between well-separated pulses within a single burst, like GRB 160626B, using the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor data of the Fermi satellite. We obtain 43 GRBs with clear multiple pulses and find that 9/43 (21%) bursts may exhibit such a transition based on the time-integrated spectral analysis. We then select a further four bursts with data of adequate quality to perform a detailed time-resolved spectral analysis, and we find that in three bursts the thermal-like pulse is a precursor. Furthermore, based on the time-resolved spectra, we constrain the outflow properties for those thermal pulses and find them consistent with the typical properties of the photosphere emission. Also, the later pulses with the softer low-energy spectral index are compatible with the optically thin synchrotron emission model. Our analysis indicates that a good fraction of the multipulse Fermi bursts may obtain the transition from fireball to the Poynting-flux-dominated outflow.