Radiation transfer in gamma-ray bursts

Abstract

We have calculated gamma-ray radiative transport in regions of high energy density, such as gamma-ray burst source regions, using a discrete ordinate, discrete energy group method. The calculations include two-photon pair production and annihilation, as well as three-photon pair annihilation. The radiation field itself acts as an absorbing medium, and the optical depth depends on its intensity, so the problem is intrinsically nonlinear. Spherical divergence produces effective collimation of the flux. At high optical depth the high energy ($E > 1$ MeV) portion of the emergent spectrum assumes a nearly universal form. An approximate limit is derived for the high energy flux from a gamma-ray burst source region of given size, and the implications of this limit for the distance to the March 5, 1979 event are briefly discussed. We discuss more generally the problem of very luminous bursts, and implications of Galactic halo distances for flare models.