Off-axis Afterglows Research Articles

Investigating the off-axis GRB afterglow scenario for extragalactic fast X-ray transients

Context. Extragalactic fast X-ray transients (FXTs) are short-duration (∼ks) X-ray flashes of unknown origin, potentially arising from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers, tidal disruption events, or supernova shock breakouts. Aims. In the context of the BNS scenario, we investigate the possible link between FXTs and the afterglows of off-axis merger-induced gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Methods. By modelling well-sampled broadband afterglows of 13 merger-induced GRBs, we make predictions for their X-ray light curve behaviour had they been observed off-axis, considering both a uniform jet with core angle θC and a Gaussian-structured jet whose edge lies at an angle θW = 2θC. We compare their peak X-ray luminosity, duration, and temporal indices α (where F ∝ tα) with those of the currently known extragalactic FXTs. Results. Our analysis reveals that a slightly off-axis observing angle of θobs ≈ (2.2 − 3)θC and a structured jet are required to explain the shallow (|α|≲0.3) temporal indices of the FXT light curves, which cannot be reproduced in the uniform-jet case at any viewing angle. In the case of a structured jet with truncation angle θW = 2θC, the distributions of the duration of the FXTs are consistent with those of the off-axis afterglows for the same range of observing angles, θobs ≈ (2.2 − 3)θC. While the distributions of the off-axis peak X-ray luminosity are consistent only for θobs = 2.2θC, focussing on individual events with different intrinsic luminosities reveals that the match of all three properties (peak X-ray luminosity, duration and temporal indices) of the FXTs at the same viewing angle is possible in the range θobs ∼ (2.2 − 2.6)θC. Despite the small sample of GRBs analysed, these results show that there is a region of the parameter space – although quite limited – where the observational properties of off-axis GRB afterglow can be consistent with those of the newly discovered FXTs. Future observations of FXTs discovered by the recently launched Einstein Probe mission and GRB population studies combined with more complex afterglow models will shed light on this possible GRB-FXT connection, and eventually unveil the progenitors of some FXTs.

Reverse shock emission in an off-axis top-hat jet model for gamma-ray bursts

ABSTRACT The afterglow of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) has been widely argued to arise from the interaction of a relativistic outflow with its ambient medium. During such an interaction, a pair of shocks are generated: a forward shock that propagates into the medium and a reverse shock that propagates into the outflow. Extensive studies have been conducted on the emission from the forward shock viewed off-axis. Furthermore, the observation of a reverse shock in an on-axis short GRB suggests that the reverse shock can produce an electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave-detected merger. In this paper, we investigate the contribution of the reverse shock to the afterglow from a top-hat jet viewed off-axis, and apply our model to some short GRBs previously modelled by an off-axis emission. We employ the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method to get the model parameters (i.e. the jet’s half-opeaning angle θj, the viewing angle θobs, the initial Lorentz factor Γ0, and the isotropic energy Eiso). Our model successfully reproduces off-axis afterglow emission without a structured jet. In addition, our calculations suggest that the reverse shock may produce a prominent feature in an early afterglow, which can be potentially observed in an orphan optical afterglow.

GRB 080710: A narrow, structured jet showing a late, achromatic peak in the optical and infrared afterglow?

We present a possible theoretical interpretation of the observed afterglow emission of long gamma-ray burst GRB 080710. While its prompt GRB emission properties are normal, the afterglow light curves in the optical and infrared bands are exceptional in two respects. One is that the observed light curves of different wavelengths have maximum at the same time, and that the achromatic peak time, 2.2×103 s after the burst trigger, is about an order of magnitude later than typical events. The other is that the observed flux before the peak increases more slowly than theoretically expected so far. Assuming that the angular distribution of the outflow energy is top-hat or Gaussian-shaped, we calculate the observed light curves of the synchrotron emission from the relativistic jets and explore the model parameters that explain the observed data. It is found that a narrowly collimated Gaussian-shaped jet with large isotropic-equivalent energy is the most plausible model for reproducing the observed afterglow behavior. Namely, an off-axis afterglow scenario to the achromatic peak is unlikely. The inferred values of the opening angle and the isotropic equivalent energy of the jet are possibly similar to those of GRB 221009A, but the jet of GRB 080710 has a much smaller efficiency of the prompt gamma-ray emission. Our results indicate a greater diversity of the GRB jet properties than previously thought.

A matched-filter approach to radio variability and transients: searching for orphan afterglows in the VAST Pilot Survey

ABSTRACT Radio transient searches using traditional variability metrics struggle to recover sources whose evolution time-scale is significantly longer than the survey cadence. Motivated by the recent observations of slowly evolving radio afterglows at gigahertz frequency, we present the results of a search for radio variables and transients using an alternative matched-filter approach. We designed our matched-filter to recover sources with radio light curves that have a high-significance fit to power-law and smoothly broken power-law functions; light curves following these functions are characteristic of synchrotron transients, including ‘orphan’ gamma-ray burst afterglows, which were the primary targets of our search. Applying this matched-filter approach to data from Variables and Slow Transients Pilot Survey conducted using the Australian SKA Pathfinder, we produced five candidates in our search. Subsequent Australia Telescope Compact Array observations and analysis revealed that: one is likely a synchrotron transient; one is likely a flaring active galactic nucleus, exhibiting a flat-to-steep spectral transition over 4 months; one is associated with a starburst galaxy, with the radio emission originating from either star formation or an underlying slowly evolving transient; and the remaining two are likely extrinsic variables caused by interstellar scintillation. The synchrotron transient, VAST J175036.1–181454, has a multifrequency light curve, peak spectral luminosity, and volumetric rate that is consistent with both an off-axis afterglow and an off-axis tidal disruption event; interpreted as an off-axis afterglow would imply an average inverse beaming factor $\langle f^{-1}_{\text{b}} \rangle = 860^{+1980}_{-710}$, or equivalently, an average jet opening angle of $\langle \theta _{\textrm {j}} \rangle = 3^{+4}_{-1}\,$ deg.

Afterglow Polarization from Off-axis Gamma-Ray Burst Jets

As we further our studies on gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), via both theoretical models and observational tools, more and more options begin to open for exploration of its physical properties. As GRBs are transient events primarily dominated by synchrotron radiation, it is expected that the synchrotron photons emitted by GRBs should present some degree of polarization throughout the evolution of the burst. Whereas observing this polarization can still be challenging due to the constraints on observational tools, especially for short GRBs, it is paramount that the groundwork is laid for the day we have abundant data. In this work, we present a polarization model linked with an off-axis spreading top-hat jet synchrotron scenario in a stratified environment with a density profile n(r) ∝ r −k . We present this model's expected temporal polarization evolution for a realistic set of afterglow parameters constrained within the values observed in the GRB literature for four degrees of stratification k = 0, 1, 1.5, and 2 and two magnetic field configurations with high extreme anisotropy. We apply this model and predict polarization from a set of GRBs exhibiting off-axis afterglow emission. In particular, for GRB 170817A, we use the available polarimetric upper limits to rule out the possibility of an extremely anisotropic configuration for the magnetic field.

Afterglow Light Curves from Off-Axis GRB Jets in Stratified Circumburst Medium

We study the gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow light curves produced by an off-axis jet in a stratified circumburst medium and summarize the temporal indices of the coasting phase, the deceleration phase, the Newtonian phase, and the deep Newtonian phase for various viewing angles and power-law indices of medium density. Generally, the afterglow light curves of off-axis GRBs in the homogeneous interstellar medium have a steep rise arising due to jet deceleration. In the stratified medium, the flux rises is more shallow but peaks earlier for the same viewing angle due to faster deceleration of the jet running into the denser stratified medium, compared with the case of the interstellar medium (ISM). Observations of off-axis bursts will possibly increase over the coming years due to the arrival of the multi-messenger era and the forthcoming surveys in multiple bands. The temporal indices of off-axis afterglows derived in the paper will provide a reference for comparison with the observations and can diagnose the circumburst environment. The numerical code calculating the afterglow light curve also can be used to fit the multi-wavelength light curves.

Kilonova and Optical Afterglow from Binary Neutron Star Mergers. I. Luminosity Function and Color Evolution

In the first work of this series, we adopt a GW170817-like viewing-angle-dependent kilonova model and the standard afterglow model with a light-curve distribution based on the properties of cosmological short gamma-ray burst afterglows to simulate the luminosity functions and color evolution of both kilonovae and optical afterglow emissions from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. We find that ∼10% of the nearly-on-axis afterglows are brighter than the associated kilonovae at the peak time. These kilonovae would be significantly polluted by the associated afterglow emission. Only at large viewing angles with , the electromagnetic signals of most BNS mergers would be kilonova-dominated and some off-axis afterglows may emerge at ∼5–10 days after the mergers. At a brightness dimmer than ∼23–24 mag, according to their luminosity functions, the number of afterglows is much larger than that of kilonovae. Because the search depth of the present survey projects is <22 mag, the number of afterglow events that are detected via serendipitous observations would be much higher than that of kilonova events, consistent with the current observations. For the foreseeable survey projects (e.g., Mephisto, WFST, and LSST), whose search depths can reach ≳23–24 mag, the detection rate of kilonovae could have the same order of magnitude as afterglows. We also find that it may be difficult to use the fading rate in a single band to directly identify kilonovae and afterglows among various fast-evolving transients by serendipitous surveys. However, the color evolution between the optical and infrared bands can identify them because the color evolution patterns of these phenomena are unique compared with those of other fast-evolving transients.

DDOTI observations of gravitational-wave sources discovered in O3

ABSTRACT We present optical follow-up observations with the Deca-Degree Optical Transient Imager (DDOTI) telescope of gravitational-wave (GW) events detected during the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo O3 observing run. DDOTI is capable of responding to an alert in a few minutes, has an instantaneous field of about 69 deg2, and obtains 10σ upper limits of wlim = 18.5–20.5 AB mag in 1000 s of exposure, depending on the conditions. We observed 54 per cent (26 out of 48) of the unretracted GW alerts and did not find any electromagnetic counterparts. We compare our upper limits to various possible counterparts: the kilonova AT 2017gfo, models of radioactive- and magnetar-powered kilonovae, short gamma-ray burst afterglows, and active galactic nucleus (AGN) flares. Although the large positional uncertainties of GW sources do not allow us to place strong constraints during O3, DDOTI observations of well-localized GW events in O4 and beyond could meaningfully constrain models of compact binary mergers. We show that DDOTI is able to detect kilonovae similar to AT 2017gfo up to about 200 Mpc and magnetar-powered kilonovae up to 1 Gpc. We calculate that nearby (≲200 Mpc) afterglows have a high chance (≈70 per cent) to be detected by rapid (≲3 h) DDOTI observations if observed on-axis, whereas off-axis afterglows are unlikely to be seen. Finally, we suggest that long-term monitoring of massive BBH events with DDOTI could confirm or rule out late AGN flares associated with these events.

The Off-Axis Afterglow of GW170817: Flux Prediction at Very High Energies

AbstractThe binary neutron star merger gravitational-wave event GW170817 and observations of the subsequent electromagnetic signals at different wavelengths have helped better understand the outflows that follow these mergers. In particular, the off-axis afterglow of the jetted ejecta has allowed to probe the lateral structure of such jets, especially thanks to VLBI imagery of the source. In this work, we model this afterglow including a decelerating jet with lateral structure, while synchrotron emission and synchrotron self-Compton scatterings power the jet radiation. In particular, we extend our analysis to very high energies and predict the light curve in the energy range of H.E.S.S. and the CTA. We finally discuss how future detections of afterglows by these observatories can help break the degeneracies in some key physical parameter measurements, and allow to probe efficiently a sub-population of fast-merging binaries.

Scattered Short Gamma-Ray Bursts as Electromagnetic Counterparts to Gravitational Waves and Implications of GW170817 and GRB 170817A

Abstract In the faint short gamma-ray burst sGRB 170817A followed by the gravitational waves (GWs) from a merger of two neutron stars (NSs) GW170817, the spectral peak energy is too high to explain only by canonical off-axis emission. We investigate the off-axis appearance of an sGRB prompt emission scattered by a cocoon, which is produced through the jet–merger–ejecta interaction, with either subrelativistic or mildly relativistic velocities. We show that the observed properties of sGRB 170817A, in particular the high peak energy, can be consistently explained by the Thomson-scattered emission with a typical sGRB jet, together with its canonical off-axis emission, supporting that an NS–NS merger is the origin of sGRBs. The scattering occurs at ≲1010–1012 cm not far from the central engine, implying the photospheric or internal shock origin of the sGRB prompt emission. The boundary between the jet and cocoon is sharp, which could be probed by future observations of off-axis afterglows. The scattering model predicts a distribution of the spectral peak energy that is similar to the observed one but with a cutoff around ∼MeV energy and its correlations with the luminosity, duration, and time lag from GWs, providing a way to distinguish it from alternative models.

ALMA and GMRT Constraints on the Off-axis Gamma-Ray Burst 170817A from the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817

Abstract Binary neutron-star mergers (BNSMs) are among the most readily detectable gravitational-wave (GW) sources with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). They are also thought to produce short γ-ray bursts (SGRBs) and kilonovae that are powered by r-process nuclei. Detecting these phenomena simultaneously would provide an unprecedented view of the physics during and after the merger of two compact objects. Such a Rosetta Stone event was detected by LIGO/Virgo on 2017 August 17 at a distance of ∼44 Mpc. We monitored the position of the BNSM with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) at 338.5 GHz and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at 1.4 GHz, from 1.4 to 44 days after the merger. Our observations rule out any afterglow more luminous than in these bands, probing &gt;2–4 dex fainter than previous SGRB limits. We match these limits, in conjunction with public data announcing the appearance of X-ray and radio emission in the weeks after the GW event, to templates of off-axis afterglows. Our broadband modeling suggests that GW170817 was accompanied by an SGRB and that the γ-ray burst (GRB) jet, powered by erg, had a half-opening angle of , and was misaligned by from our line of sight. The data are also consistent with a more collimated jet: erg, . This is the most conclusive detection of an off-axis GRB afterglow and the first associated with a BNSM-GW event to date. We use the viewing angle estimates to infer the initial bulk Lorentz factor and true energy release of the burst.

GRB off-axis afterglows and the emission from the accompanying supernovae

Gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows are likely produced in the shock that is driven as the GRB jet interacts with the external medium. Long-duration GRBs are also associated with powerful supernovae (SNe). We consider the optical and radio afterglows of long GRBs for both blasts viewed along the jet axis ("on-axis" afterglows) and misaligned observes ("off-axis" afterglows). Comparing the optical emission from the afterglow with that of the accompanying SN, using SN 1998bw as an archetype, we find that only a few percent of afterglows viewed off-axis are brighter than the SN. For observable optical off-axis afterglows, the viewing angle is at most twice the half-opening angle of the GRB jet. Radio off-axis afterglows should be detected with upcoming radio surveys within a few hundred Mpc. We propose that these surveys will act as "radio triggers", and that dedicated radio facilities should follow-up these sources. Follow-ups can unveil the presence of the radio SN remnant, if present. In addition, they can probe the presence of a mildly relativistic component, either associated with the GRB jet or the SN ejecta, expected in these sources.

DISCOVERY OF A COSMOLOGICAL, RELATIVISTIC OUTBURST VIA ITS RAPIDLY FADING OPTICAL EMISSION

We report the discovery by the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) of the transient source PTF11agg, which is distinguished by three primary characteristics: (1) bright, rapidly fading optical transient emission; (2) a faint, blue quiescent optical counterpart; and (3) an associated year-long, scintillating radio transient. We argue that these observed properties are inconsistent with any known class of Galactic transients, and instead suggest a cosmological origin. The detection of incoherent radio emission at such distances implies a large emitting region, from which we infer the presence of relativistic ejecta. The observed properties are all consistent with the population of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), marking the first time such an outburst has been discovered in the distant universe independent of a high-energy trigger. We searched for possible high-energy counterparts to PTF11agg, but found no evidence for associated prompt emission. We therefore consider three possible scenarios to account for a GRB-like afterglow without a high-energy counterpart: an "untriggered" GRB (lack of satellite coverage), an "orphan" afterglow (viewing-angle effects), and a "dirty fireball" (suppressed high-energy emission). The observed optical and radio light curves appear inconsistent with even the most basic predictions for off-axis afterglow models. The simplest explanation, then, is that PTF11agg is a normal, on-axis long-duration GRB for which the associated high-energy emission was simply missed. However, we have calculated the likelihood of such a serendipitous discovery by PTF and find that it is quite small (~ 2.6%). While not definitive, we nonetheless speculate that PTF11agg may represent a new, more common (> 4 times the on-axis GRB rate at 90% confidence) class of relativistic outbursts lacking associated high-energy emission.

Searching for the first stars with theGaiamission

We construct a theoretical model to predict the number of orphan afterglows (OA) from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) triggered by primordial metal-free (Pop III) stars expected to be observed by the Gaia mission. In particular, we consider primordial metal-free stars that were affected by radiation from other stars (Pop III.2) as a possible target. We use a semi-analytical approach that includes all relevant feedback effects to construct cosmic star formation history and its connection with the cumulative number of GRBs. The OA events are generated using the Monte Carlo method, and realistic simulations of Gaia's scanning law are performed to derive the observation probability expectation. We show that Gaia can observe up to 2.28 $\pm$ 0.88 off-axis afterglows and 2.78 $\pm$ 1.41 on-axis during the five-year nominal mission. This implies that a nonnegligible percentage of afterglows that may be observed by Gaia ($\sim 10%$) could have Pop III stars as progenitors.

Towards an optimal search strategy of optical and gravitational wave emissions from binary neutron star coalescence

Abstract Observations of an optical source coincident with gravitational wave emission detected from a binary neutron star coalescence will improve the confidence of detection, provide host galaxy localization and test models for the progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts. We employ optical observations of three short gamma-ray bursts, 050724, 050709 and 051221, to estimate the detection rate of a coordinated optical and gravitational wave search of neutron star mergers. Model R-band optical afterglow light curves of these bursts that include a jet-break are extrapolated for these sources at the sensitivity horizon of an Advanced LIGO/Virgo network. Using optical sensitivity limits of three telescopes, namely TAROT (m = 18), Zadko (m = 21) and an 8–10 m class telescope (m = 26), we approximate detection rates and cadence times for imaging. We find a median coincident detection rate of 4 yr-1 for the three bursts. GRB 050724 like bursts, with wide opening jet angles, offer the most optimistic rate of 13 coincident detections per year, and would be detectable by Zadko up to 5 d after the trigger. Late-time imaging to m = 26 could detect off-axis afterglows for GRB 051221 like bursts several months after the trigger. For a broad distribution of beaming angles, the optimal strategy for identifying the optical emissions triggered by gravitational wave detectors is rapid response searches with robotic telescopes followed by deeper imaging at later times if an afterglow is not detected within several days of the trigger.

Off-Axis Afterglow Emission from Jetted Gamma-Ray Bursts

We calculate gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow light curves from a relativistic jet as seen by observers at various viewing angles, θobs, relative to the jet axis. We describe three increasingly more realistic models and compare the resulting light curves. An observer at θobs < θ0, where θ0 is the initial jet opening angle, should see a light curve very similar to that for an on-axis observer. An observer at θobs > θ0 sees a rising light curve at early times, peaking when the jet Lorentz factor is ~1/θobs, and approaching that seen by an on-axis observer, at later times. A strong linear polarization (≲40%) may occur near the peak in the light curve and slowly decay with time. We show that, if GRB jets have a universal energy, then orphan afterglows are detectable up to a maximum offset angle that is independent of the jet initial aperture and thus at a rate proportional to the true GRB rate. We also discuss the implications of the proposed connection between SN 1998bw and GRB 980425.