Observations Of Gamma-ray Bursts Research Articles

Constraints on short gamma-ray burst physics and their host galaxies from systematic radio follow-up campaigns

Abstract Short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are explosive transients caused by binary mergers of compact objects containing at least one neutron star. Multi-wavelength afterglow observations provide constraints on the physical parameters of the jet, its surrounding medium, and the microphysics of the enhanced magnetic fields and accelerated electrons in the blast wave at the front of the jet. The synchrotron radio emission can be tracked for much longer than in other spectral regimes, and it can pin down the evolution of the spectral peak. We present the results of a systematic observing campaign of eight short GRBs with the MeerKAT radio telescope. Additionally, we present observations of four of these short GRBs using the ATCA radio telescope and two of these short GRBs with the e-MERLIN radio telescope. Using these results we report one possible detection of a short GRB afterglow from GRB 230217A and deep upper limits for the rest of our short GRB observations. We use these observations to place constraints on some of the physical parameters, in particular those related to electron acceleration, the circumburst density, and gamma-ray energy efficiency. We discuss how deeper observations with new and upgraded telescopes should be able to determine if the gamma-ray efficiency differs between long and short GRBs. We also report detections of the likely host galaxies for four of the eight GRBs and upper limits for another GRB, increasing the number of detected host galaxies in the radio with implications for the star formation rate in these galaxies.

Prospects for detection of the pair-echo emission from TeV gamma-ray bursts

The intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF) present in the voids of large-scale structures is considered to be the weakest magnetic field in the Universe. Gamma-ray observations of blazars in the GeV-TeV domain have led to lower limits on the IGMF strength based on the search for delayed or extended emission. Nevertheless, these results have been obtained with strong assumptions placed on the unknown source properties. The recent discovery of TeV radiation from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has paved the way for IGMF studies with these bright transients. Among the current TeV-detected GRBs, GRB\,190114C, located at a redshift of $z = 0.42$, is the best sampled. Therefore, it can be considered to be representative of the properties of GRBs in the VHE domain. In addition GRB\,221009A ($z = 0.151$) is the brightest event ever detected. We present a phenomenological model based on the intrinsic properties of GRB\,190114C and GRB\,221009A to predict the delayed emission component (pair-echo) in the GeV-TeV band. We investigate the detectability of this component from low-redshift ($z 1$) GRBs for three values of IGMF strength ($10^ $ G, $10^ $ G and $10^ $ G) different observational times ($3$ hrs, $6$ hrs, and $9$ hrs) and source intrinsic properties. We find that for current and future generation gamma -ray instruments extending the observation for at least 3 hours after the GRB detection is a viable strategy for probing the IGMF. We also confirm that GeV-TeV observations of GRBs can probe IGMF strengths on the order of $10^ $ G, representing a competitive alternative to the current studies performed with active galactic nuclei (AGNs)

The Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) on the International Space Station: Results from the first eight years on orbit

The Calorimetric Electron Telescope, CALET, is an astroparticle physics mission installed on the International Space Station, ISS. The primary objective of the mission is studying the details of galactic cosmic-ray acceleration and propagation, and searching for the possible nearby sources of high-energy electrons and dark matter signatures. The CALET experiment measure the flux of cosmic-ray electrons (including positrons) to 20 TeV, gamma-rays to 10 TeV and nuclei to 1000 TeV. The detector is an all-calorimetric instrument with a total vertical thickness of 30 radiation lengths and fine imaging capability, optimized for the measurement of the electron and positron (all-electron) spectrum well into the TeV energy region. It consists of a charge detector (CHD) with two layers of segmented plastic scintillators for the identification of cosmic-rays via a measurement of their charge over the range Z=1∼40, a 3 radiation length thick tungsten-scintillating fiber imaging calorimeter (IMC) and a 27 radiation length thick lead-tungstate calorimeter (TASC). The instrument was launched on August 19, 2015 to the ISS and installed on the Japanese Experiment Module-Exposed Facility. Since the start of operation in October, 2015, CALET has been collecting scientific data without any major interruption for more than eight years. The number of triggered events over 10 GeV is nearly 1.97 billion events as of November 30, 2023. In this paper, we present the results of the CALET mission so far, including the all-electron energy spectrum, the spectra of protons and other nuclei, gamma-ray observations, as well as the characterization of on-orbit performance. Some results on the electromagnetic counterpart search for LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave events and the observations of solar modulation and gamma-ray bursts are also included.

The RPC in the astroparticle physics of the next future

Following the brilliant results of the ARGO-YBJ experiment (Tibet, 4300 m asl), this paper intends to investigate how to optimize the potential of Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) for detecting cosmic-ray showers. This requires improving parameters like construction simplicity, low cost, and working reliability in hostile environments, rather than high-rate capability and time resolution as required in collider experiments. RPCs are particularly suitable for the detection of very low energy showers, as shown by ARGO-YBJ. An example of RPC detector, conceived for cosmic-ray physics and gamma-ray astronomy, particularly Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) observation, will be shown. This is of great interest in view of a large-size cosmic-shower detector to be installed in the Southern hemisphere.

Late Engine Activity in Neutron Star Mergers and Its Cocoon: An Alternative Scenario for the Blue Kilonova

Follow-up observations of short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) have continuously unveiled late extended/plateau emissions, attributed to jet launch due to late engine activity, the nature of which remains enigmatic. Observations of GW170817 have confirmed that sGRBs are linked to neutron star (NS) mergers, and discovered a kilonova (KN) transient. Nevertheless, the origin of the early blue KN in GW170817 remains unclear. Here, we investigate the propagation of late jets in the merger ejecta. By analytically modeling jet dynamics, we determine the properties of the jet-heated cocoon, and estimate its cooling emission. Our results reveal that late jets generate significantly brighter cocoons compared to prompt jets, primarily due to reduced energy loss by adiabatic cooling. Notably, with typical late jets, emission from the cocoon trapped inside the ejecta can reproduce the blue KN emission. We estimate that the forthcoming Einstein Probe mission will detect the early cocoon emission at a rate of ∼2.1−1.6+3.2 yr−1, and that optical/UV follow-ups in the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA O5 run will be able to detect ∼1.0−0.7+1.5 cocoon emission events. As an electromagnetic counterpart, this emission provides an independent tool to probe NS mergers in the Universe, complementing insights from sGRBs and gravitational waves.

Building cubic gravity with healthy and viable scalar and tensor perturbations

We investigate sufficient conditions under which cubic gravity is healthy and viable at the perturbation level. We perform a detailed analysis of the scalar and tensor perturbations. We impose the requirement that the two scalar potentials, whose ratio is the post-Newtonian parameter γ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\gamma $$\\end{document}, should deviate only minimally form general relativity. Additionally, concerning tensor perturbations we impose satisfaction of the LIGO-VIRGO and Fermi Gamma-ray Burst observations, and thus we result to a gravitational-wave equation with gravitational-wave speed equal to the speed of light, and where the only deviation from general relativity appears in the dispersion relation. Furthermore, we show that cubic gravity exhibits an effective Newton’s constant that depends on the model parameter, on the background evolution, and on the wavenumber scale. Hence, by requiring its deviation from the standard Newton’s constant to be within observational bounds we extract the constraints on the single coupling parameter β\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\beta $$\\end{document}.

Ready for O4 II: GRANDMA observations of Swift GRBs over eight weeks in spring 2022

Aims. We present a campaign designed to train the Global Rapid Advanced Network Devoted to the Multi-messenger Addicts (GRANDMA) network and its infrastructure to follow up on transient alerts and detect their early afterglows. In preparation for O4 II campaign, we focused on gamma-ray burst (GRB) alerts since they are expected to serve as the electromagnetic counterpart of gravitational-wave events. Our goal was to improve our response to the alerts and to start prompt observations as soon as possible, so that we may better prepare the GRANDMA network for the fourth observational run of LIGO-Virgo-Kagra (launched at the end of May 2023) and future missions such as SM. Methods. We set up a dedicated infrastructure and organized a rota of follow-up advocates (FAs) to guarantee round-the-clock assistance to our telescope teams, with an aim to receive, manage, and send out observational plans to our partner telescopes. To ensure a large number of observations, we focused on Swift GRBs whose localization errors were generally smaller than the GRANDMA telescopes’ field of view. This allowed us to bypass the transient identification process and focus on the reaction time and efficiency of the network. Results. During the ‘Ready for O4 II’ phase, 11 Swift/INTEGRAL GRB triggers were selected. Of these, nine fields had been observed and three afterglows had been detected (GRB 220403B, GRB 220427A, GRB 220514A) with 17 GRANDMA telescopes and 17 amateur astronomers from the citizen science project Kilonova-Catcher. Here, we highlight the GRB 220427A analysis, where our long-term follow-up of the host galaxy allowed us to obtain a photometric redshift of z = 0.82 ± 0.09 and its lightcurve evolution, as well as to fit the decay slope of the afterglows and study the properties of the host galaxy. Conclusions. During this eight-week-long GRB follow-up campaign, we successfully fulfilled our goal of training telescope teams for O4 and improving the associated technical toolkits. For seven of the GRB alerts, our network was able to start the first observations less than one hour after the GRB trigger time. We also characterized the network efficiency to observe GRB afterglow given the resulting time delay and limiting magnitude, and to its light curve evolution based on the observation of GRB 220427A.

Gamma-Ray Burst Observations by the High-Energy Particle Detector on board the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite between 2019 and 2021

In this paper we report the detection of five strong gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) by the High-Energy Particle Detector (HEPD-01) mounted on board the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite, operational since 2018 on a Sun-synchronous polar orbit at a ∼507 km altitude and 97° inclination. HEPD-01 was designed to detect high-energy electrons in the energy range 3–100 MeV, protons in the range 30–300 MeV, and light nuclei in the range 30–300 MeV n−1. Nonetheless, Monte Carlo simulations have shown HEPD-01 is sensitive to gamma-ray photons in the energy range 300 keV–50 MeV, even if with a moderate effective area above ∼5 MeV. A dedicated time correlation analysis between GRBs reported in literature and signals from a set of HEPD-01 trigger configuration masks has confirmed the anticipated detector sensitivity to high-energy photons. A comparison between the simultaneous time profiles of HEPD-01 electron fluxes and photons from GRB190114C, GRB190305A, GRB190928A, GRB200826B, and GRB211211A has shown a remarkable similarity, in spite of the different energy ranges. The high-energy response, with peak sensitivity at about 2 MeV, and moderate effective area of the detector in the actual flight configuration explain why these five GRBs, characterized by a fluence above ∼3 × 10−5 erg cm−2 in the energy interval 300 keV–50 MeV, have been detected.

Statistical Analysis of Long GRBs’ Prompt Emission and X-Ray Flares: Multivariate Clustering and Correlations

The extensive observations done by the X-ray Telescope on board Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory have revealed the presence of late-time flares concurrent with the decaying afterglow emission. However, the origins of these flares are elusive. In this work, we make use of the large database of Swift observations (2005–2020) of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) to conduct a systematic statistical study between the prompt gamma-ray emission and X-ray flares by characterizing their temporal and spectral properties of duration, quiescent period, peak flux, fluence, minimum variability timescale, and spectral power-law index. The multidimensional database of parameters thereby generated was investigated by principal component analysis, which revealed there is no evident correlation between the different parameters of the prompt emission and X-ray flares. Furthermore, the correlation studies revealed that while there is a trend of positive correlation between the minimum variability timescale of the flare and its duration, and of strong negative correlation with its peak flux, there are no such correlations observed in the prompt emission. Similarly, we find a positive correlation between the quiescent period and the flare duration, and a negative correlation with the flare peak flux, while no such correlations are observed for the prompt emission of the GRBs. Finally, among the X-ray flares, we find two dominant classes, whose variations are driven by the minimum variability timescale, peak flux, and fluence of the flares. A catalog of these different parameters characterizing the prompt and flare emissions is presented.

Hybrid Emission Modeling of GRB 221009A: Shedding Light on TeV Emission Origins in Long GRBs

Observations of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with TeV emission during their afterglow have been on the rise. Recently, GRB 221009A, the most energetic GRB ever observed, was detected by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory experiment in the energy band 0.2–7 TeV. Here, we interpret its afterglow in the context of a hybrid model in which the TeV spectral component is explained by the proton-synchrotron process while the low-energy emission from optical to X-ray is due to synchrotron radiation from electrons. We constrained the model parameters using the observed optical, X-ray, and TeV data. By comparing the parameters of this burst and of GRB 190114C, we deduce that the VHE emission at energies ≥1 TeV in the GRB afterglow requires large explosion kinetic energy, E ≳ 1054 erg and a reasonable circumburst density, n ≳ 10 cm−3. This results in a small injection fraction of particles accelerated to a power law, ∼10−2. A significant fraction of shock energy must be allocated to a near equipartition magnetic field, ϵ B ∼ 10−1, while electrons should only carry a small fraction of this energy, ϵ e ∼ 10−3. Under these conditions required for a proton-synchrotron model, namely ϵ B ≫ ϵ e , the SSC component is substantially subdominant over proton-synchrotron as a source of TeV photons. These results lead us to suggest that proton-synchrotron process is a strong contender for the radiative mechanisms explaining GRB afterglows in the TeV band.

Proton Synchrotron Origin of the Very-high-energy Emission of GRB 190114C

We consider here a proton-synchrotron model to explain the MAGIC observation of GRB 190114C afterglow in the energy band of 0.2–1 TeV, while the X-ray spectra are explained by electron-synchrotron emission. Given the uncertainty of the particle acceleration process, we consider several variations of the model, and show that they all match the data very well. We find that the values of the uncertain model parameters are reasonable: isotropic explosion energy ∼1054.5 erg, ambient density ∼10–100 cm−3, and the fraction of electrons/protons accelerated to a high-energy power law is of a few percent. All these values are directly derived from the observed teraelectronvolt and X-ray fluxes. The model also requires that protons be accelerated to observed energies as high as a few 1020 eV. Further, assuming that the jet break takes place after 106 s gives the beaming-corrected energy of the burst to be ≈1053 erg, which is one to two orders of magnitude higher than usually inferred, because of the small fraction of electrons accelerated. Our modeling is consistent with both late time data at all bands, from optical to X-rays, and with numerical models of particle acceleration. Our results thus demonstrate the relevance of proton-synchrotron emission to the high-energy observations of gamma-ray bursts during their afterglow phase.

The ultra-long GRB 220627A at z = 3.08

Context. GRB 220627A is a rare burst with two distinct γ-ray emission episodes separated by almost 1000 s that triggered the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor twice. High-energy GeV emission was detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope coincident with the first emission episode but not the second. The discovery of the optical afterglow with MeerLICHT led to MUSE observations which secured the burst redshift to z = 3.08, making this the most distant ultra-long gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected to date. Aims. The progenitors of some ultra-long GRBs have been suggested in the literature to be different to those of normal long GRBs. Our aim is to determine whether the afterglow and host properties of GRB 220627A agree with this interpretation. Methods. We performed empirical and theoretical modelling of the afterglow data within the external forward shock framework, and determined the metallicity of the GRB environment through modelling the absorption lines in the MUSE spectrum. Results. Our optical data show evidence for a jet break in the light curve at ∼1.2 days, while our theoretical modelling shows a preference for a homogeneous circumburst medium. Our forward shock parameters are typical for the wider GRB population, and we find that the environment of the burst is characterised by a sub-solar metallicity. Conclusions. Our observations and modelling of GRB 220627A do not suggest that a different progenitor compared to the progenitor of normal long GRBs is required. We find that more observations of ultra-long GRBs are needed to determine if they form a separate population with distinct prompt and afterglow features, and possibly distinct progenitors.

Unpacking Merger Jets: A Bayesian Analysis of GW170817, GW190425 and Electromagnetic Observations of Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

We present a novel fully Bayesian analysis to constrain short gamma-ray burst (sGRB) jet structures associated with cocoon, wide-angle, and simple top-hat jet models, as well as the binary neutron star (BNS) merger rate. These constraints are made given the distance and inclination information from GW170817, observed flux of GRB 170817A, observed rate of sGRBs detected by Swift, and the neutron star merger rate inferred from LIGO’s first and second observing runs. A separate analysis is conducted where a fitted sGRB luminosity function is included to provide further constraints. The jet structure models are further constrained using the observation of GW190425, and we find that the assumption that it produced a GRB 170817–like sGRB which went undetected due to the jet geometry is consistent with previous observations. We find and quantify evidence for low-luminosity and wide-angle jet structuring in the sGRB population, independently from afterglow observations, with log Bayes factors of 0.45–0.55 for such models when compared to a classical top-hat jet. Slight evidence is found for a Gaussian jet structure model over all others when the fitted luminosity function is provided, producing log Bayes factors of 0.25–0.9 ± 0.05 when compared to the other models. However, without considering GW190425 or the fitted luminosity function, the evidence favors a cocoon-like model with log Bayes factors of 0.14 ± 0.05 over the Gaussian jet structure. We provide new constraints to the BNS merger rates of 1–1300 Gpc−3 yr−1 or 2–680 Gpc−3 yr−1 when a fitted luminosity function is assumed.

Optimization of the SVOM satellite strategy for the rapid follow-up of gravitational wave events

ABSTRACT The SVOM satellite, to be launched in early 2024, is primarily devoted to the multiwavelength observation of gamma-ray bursts and other higher-energy transients. Thanks to its onboard Microchannel X-ray Telescope and Visible-band Telescope, it is also very well adapted to the electromagnetic follow-up of gravitational wave events. We discuss the SVOM rapid follow-up strategy for gravitational wave trigger candidates provided by LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA. In particular, we make use of recent developments of galaxy catalogues adapted to the horizon of gravitational wave detectors to optimize the chance of counterpart discovery. We also take into account constraints specific to the SVOM platform. Finally, we implement the production of the SVOM observation plan following a gravitational wave alert and quantify the efficiency of several optimizations introduced in this work.

Prospects for the detection rate of very-high-energy γ-ray emissions from short γ-ray bursts with the HADAR experiment* *Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12263004, 12263005, 12275279).

The observation of short gamma ray bursts (SGRBs) in the TeV energy range plays an important role in understanding the radiation mechanism and probing potential new physics, such as Lorentz invariance violation (LIV). However, no SGRBs have been observed in this energy range owing to the short duration of SGRBs and the weakness of current experiments. New experiments with new technology are required to detect the very high energy (VHE) emission of SGRBs. In this study, we simulate the VHE γ-ray emissions from SGRBs and calculate the annual detection rate with the High Altitude Detection of Astronomical Radiation (HADAR) experiment. First, a set of pseudo-SGRB samples is generated and checked using the observations of the Fermi-GBM, Fermi-LAT, and Swift-BAT measurements. The annual detection rate is calculated from these SGRB samples based on the performance of the HADAR instrument. As a result, the HADAR experiment can detect 0.5 SGRBs per year if the spectral break-off of γ-rays caused by the internal absorption and Klein-Nishina (KN) effect is larger than 100 GeV. For a GRB090510-like GRB in HADAR's view, it should be possible to detect approximately 2000 photons considering the internal absorption and KN effect. With a time delay assumption due to LIV effects, a simulated light curve of GRB090510 has evident energy dependence. We hope that the HADAR experiment can perform SGRB observations and test our calculations in the future.

Highlights of the very-high-energy gamma-ray sky as seen by MAGIC

MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov) is a system of two 17-m diameter Cherenkov telescopes operating at the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos in La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) since 2009. The telescopes detect very-high-energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) gamma rays ranging from few tens of GeV to few tens of TeV. In this contribution I will present a selection of the latest scientific results obtained by the MAGIC telescopes, regarding Gamma-Ray Bursts observations, multi-messenger and multi-wavelength astronomy, and the discovery of VHE gamma-ray emission from the first VHE nova, RS Ophiuchi.

Evidence for Two Distinct Populations of Kilonova-associated Gamma-Ray Bursts

Identification of gamma-ray burst (GRB) progenitors based on the duration of their prompt emission (T 90) has faced several roadblocks recently. Long-duration GRBs (with T 90 > 2 s) have traditionally been thought to be originating from the collapse of massive stars and the short-duration ones (with T 90 < 2 s) from compact binary mergers. However, recent observations of a long GRB associated with a kilonova (KN) and a short GRB with supernova association demand a more detailed classification of the GRB population. In this Letter, we focus on GRBs associated with KNe, believed to be originating from mergers of binaries involving neutron stars (NSs). We make use of the GRB prompt-emission light curves of the Swift/BAT 2022 GRB catalog and employ machine-learning algorithms to study the classification of GRB progenitors. Our analysis reveals that there are five distinct clusters of GRBs, of which the KN-associated GRBs are located in two separate clusters, indicating they may have been produced by different progenitors. We argue that these clusters may be due to subclasses of binary neutron star and/or NS–black hole mergers. We also discuss the implications of these findings for future gravitational-wave observations and how those observations may help in understanding these clusters better.

Photometric and Spectroscopic Observations of GRB 190106A: Emission from Reverse and Forward Shocks with Late-time Energy Injection

Early optical observations of gamma-ray bursts can significantly contribute to the study of the central engine and physical processes therein. However, of the thousands observed so far, only a few have data at optical wavelengths in the first minutes after the onset of the prompt emission. Here we report on GRB 190106A, whose afterglow was observed in optical bands just 36 s after the Swift/BAT trigger, i.e., during the prompt emission phase. The early optical afterglow exhibits a bimodal structure followed by a normal decay, with a faster decay after ∼T 0 + 1 day. We present optical photometric and spectroscopic observations of GRB 190106A. We derive the redshift via metal absorption lines from Xinglong 2.16 m/BFOSC spectroscopic observations. From the BFOSC spectrum, we measure z = 1.861 ± 0.002. The double-peak optical light curve is a significant feature predicted by the reverse-forward external-shock model. The shallow decay followed by a normal decay in both the X-ray and optical light curves is well explained with the standard forward-shock model with late-time energy injection. Therefore, GRB 190106A offers a case study for GRB emission from both reverse and forward shocks.

Energizing gamma ray bursts via Z^{prime } mediated neutrino heating

The pair annihilation of neutrinos (nu {overline{nu }}rightarrow e^+e^-) can energize violent stellar explosions such as gamma ray bursts (GRBs). The energy in this neutrino heating mechanism can be further enhanced by modifying the background spacetime over that of Newtonian spacetime. However, one cannot attain the maximum GRB energy (sim 10^{52}~text {erg}) in either the Newtonian background or Schwarzschild and Hartle–Thorne background. On the other hand, using modified gravity theories or the Quintessence field as background geometries, the maximum GRB energy can be reached. In this paper, we consider extending the standard model by an extra U(1)_{{mathrm{B-L}}} gauge group and augmenting the energy deposition by neutrino pair annihilation process including contributions mediated by the Z^{prime } gauge boson belonging to this model. From the observed energy of GRB, we obtain constraints on U(1)_{{mathrm{B-L}}} gauge coupling in different background spacetimes. We find that the bounds on gauge coupling in modified gravity theories and quintessence background are stronger than those coming from the neutrino-electron scattering experiments in the limit of small gauge boson masses. Future GRB observations with better accuracy can further strengthen these bounds.

Model-independent determination of H0 and ΩK, 0 using time-delay galaxy lenses and gamma-ray bursts

ABSTRACT Combining the ‘time-delay distance’ (DΔt) measurements from galaxy lenses and other distance indicators provides model-independent determinations of the Hubble constant (H0) and spatial curvature (ΩK, 0), only based on the validity of the Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) metric and geometrical optics. To take the full merit of combining DΔt measurements in constraining H0, we use gamma-ray burst (GRB) distances to extend the redshift coverage of lensing systems much higher than that of Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) and even higher than quasars, whilst the general cosmography with a curvature component is implemented for the GRB distance parametrizations. Combining Lensing + GRB yields $H_0=71.5^{+4.4}_{-3.0}$ km s−1 Mpc−1 and $\Omega _{K,0} = -0.07^{+0.13}_{-0.06}$ (1σ). A flat-universe prior gives slightly an improved $H_0 = 70.9^{+4.2}_{-2.9}$ km s−1Mpc−1. When combining Lensing+GRB + SN Ia, the error bar ΔH0 falls by 25 per cent, whereas ΩK, 0 is not improved due to the degeneracy between SN Ia absolute magnitude, MB, and H0 along with the mismatch between the SN Ia and GRB Hubble diagrams at z ≳ 1.4. Future increment of GRB observations can help to moderately eliminate the MB–H0 degeneracy in SN Ia distances and ameliorate the restrictions on cosmographic parameters along with ΩK, 0 when combining Lensing+SN Ia + GRB. We conclude that there is no evidence of significant deviation from a (an) flat (accelerating) universe and H0 is currently determined at 3 per cent precision. The measurements show great potential to arbitrate the H0 tension between the local distance ladder and cosmic microwave background measurements and provide a relevant consistency test of the FLRW metric.