Short versus long gamma-ray bursts: spectra, energetics, and luminosities

Abstract

We compare the spectral properties of 79 short and 79 long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) detected by BATSE and selected with the same limiting peak flux. Short GRBs have a low-energy spectral component harder and a peak energy slightly higher than long GRBs, but no difference is found when comparing short GRB spectra with those of the first 1-2 s emission of long GRBs. These results confirm earlier findings for brighter GRBs. The bolometric peak flux of short GRBs correlates with their peak energy in a similar way to long bursts. Short and long GRBs populate different regions of the bolometric fluence-peak energy plane, short bursts being less energetic by a factor similar to the ratio of their durations. If short and long GRBs had similar redshift distributions, they would have similar luminosities yet different energies, which correlate with the peak energy Epeak for the population of long GRBs. We also test whether short GRBs are consistent with the Epeak−Eiso and Epeak−Liso correlations for the available sample of short (6 events) and long (92 events) GRBs with measured redshifts and E obs : while short GRBs are inconsistent with the Epeak−Eiso correlation of long GRBs, they could follow the Epeak−Liso correlation of long bursts. All the above indications point to short GRBs being similar to the first phases of long bursts. This suggests that a similar central engine (except for its duration) operates in GRBs of different durations.