Journal
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
Volume 716, Issue 2, Pages L135-L139Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/716/2/L135
Keywords
acceleration of particles; gamma-ray burst: general; methods: statistical; radiation mechanisms: non-thermal; shock waves
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Funding
- STFC
- MSFC
- STFC [PP/E001173/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- Science and Technology Facilities Council [PP/E001173/1] Funding Source: researchfish
- UK Space Agency [ST/G008655/1] Funding Source: researchfish
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The electron energy distribution index, p, is a fundamental parameter of the synchrotron emission from a range of astronomical sources. Here we examine one such source of synchrotron emission, gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows observed by the Swift satellite. Within the framework of the blast wave model, we examine the constraints placed on the distribution of p by the observed X-ray spectral indices and parameterize the distribution. We find that the observed distribution of spectral indices are inconsistent with an underlying distribution of p composed of a single discrete value but consistent with a Gaussian distribution centered at p = 2.36 and having a width of 0.59. Furthermore, accepting that the underlying distribution is a Gaussian, we find that the majority (greater than or similar to 94%) of GRB afterglows in our sample have cooling break frequencies less than the X-ray frequency.
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