Ring-Shaped Jets in Gamma-Ray Bursts

When the axis of a gamma-ray burst （GRB） does not coincide with the spin axis of its source, there may result a ring-shaped jet. Using some refined jet dynamics, we calculate multi-wavelength afterglow light curves for such ring-shaped jets. In the R-band we find an obvious break in the afterglow light curve due to the beaming effect and the break is affected by many parameters, such as the electron energy fraction ζe, the magnetic energy fraction ζB^2, the width of ring △θ and the medium number density n. The overall light curve can be divided into three power-law stages, i.e., an ultra-relativistic stage, an after-break stage and a deep Newtonian stage. For each stage the power-law index is larger in the ring-shaped jet than in the corresponding conical jet.

Lsyn-Esyn,p-δrelation in active galactic nucleus jets and implication for the physical origin of the Lp-Ep,z-Γ_0 relation of gamma-ray bursts

High energy photon radiations of gamma-ray bursts(GRBs)and active galactic nuclei(AGNs)are dominated by their jet radiations.We examine whether the synchrotron radiations of jets in BL Lacs,flat spectrum radio quasars(FSRQs),and Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies(NLS1s)follow the relation between the prompt gamma-ray emission and the initial Lorentz factor(Γ0)of GRBs.It is shown that the AGN sample does not agree with the Lp-Ep,z-Γ0 relation of GRBs.In addition,we obtain a tight relation of Lsyn∝Е0.45±0.15δ3.50±0.25 syn,p for FSRQs and NLS1 galaxies,where Lsyn is the luminosity at peak photon energy Esyn,p of the synchrotron radiations.This relation is different from the Lp-Ep,z-Γ0 relation of GRB s.The dependence of Lsyn toδis consistent with the expectation of the Doppler boosting effect for the FSRQs and NLS1 galaxies,but it is not for GRBs.We argue thatΓ0 may be a representative of the kinetic power of the radiating region and the tight Lp-Ep,z-Γ0 relation is shaped by the radiation physics and the jet power together.

Comparisons of Jet Properties between GeV Radio Galaxies and Blazars

We compile a sample of spectral energy distributions （SEDs） of 12 GeV radio galaxies （RGs）, including eight FR I RGs and four FR II RGs. These SEDs can be represented with the one-zone leptonic model. No significant unification, as expected in the unification model, is found for the derived jet parameters between FR I RGs and BL Lacertae objects （BL Lacs） and between FR II RGs and flat spectrum radio quasars （FSRQs）. However, on average FR I RGs have a larger ＇Tb （break Lorentz factor of electrons） and lower B （magnetic field strength） than FR II RGs, analogous to the differences be- tween BL Lacs and FSRQs. The derived Doppler factors （~） of RGs are on average smaller than those of blazars, which is consistent with the unification model such that RGs are the misaligned parent pop- ulations of blazars with smaller tS. On the basis of jet parameters from SED fits, we calculate their jet powers and the powers carded by each component, and compare their jet compositions and radiation efficiencies with blazars. Most of the RG jets may be dominated by particles, like BL Lacs, not FSRQs. However, the jets of RGs with higher radiation efficiencies tend to have higher jet magnetization. A strong anticorrelation between synchrotron peak frequency and jet power is observed for GeV RGs and blazars in both the observer and co-moving frames, indicating that the ＂sequence＂ behavior among blazars, together with the GeV RGs, may be intrinsically dominated by jet power.

Not enough evidence to support the correlation between gamma-ray bursts and foreground galaxy clusters in the Swift Era

The correlation between distant Gamma-Ray Bursts （GRBs） and foreground galaxy clusters is re-examined by using the well localized （with an accuracy down to a few arcsec） Swift/XRT GRBs. The galaxy clusters are compiled from both the X-ray selected ROSAT brightest cluster sample （BCS） and the BCS extension by requiring δ ≥ 0° and b ≥ 20°. The Swift/XRT GRBs fulfilling the above selection criteria are cross-correlated with the clusters. Both Nearest-Neighbor analysis and the angular two-point cross-correlation function show that there is not enough evidence supporting the correlation between the GRBs and foreground clusters. We suggest that the non-correlation is probably related to the GRB number-flux relation slope.

Magnetic reconnection acceleration of astrophysical jets for different jet geometries

The acceleration mechanisms of relativistic jets are of great importance for understanding various astrophysical phenomena such as gamma-ray bursts, active galactic nuclei and microquasars. One of the most popular scenarios is that the jets are initially Poynting-flux dominated and succumb to magnetohydrodynamic instability leading to magnetic reconnections. We suggest that the reconnection timescale and efficiency could strongly depend on the geometry of the jet, which determines the length scale on which the orientations of the field lines change. In contrast to a usually- assumed conical jet, the acceleration of a collimated jet can be found to be more rapid and efficient （i.e. a much more highly saturated Lorentz factor can be reached） while the jets with lateral expansion show the opposite behavior. The shape of the jet could be formed due to the lateral squeezing on the jet by the stellar envelope of a collapsing massive star or the interaction of the jet with stellar winds.

Effect of Conversion Efficiency on Gamma-Ray Burst Energy

Beaming effect makes it possible that gamma-ray bursts have a standardenergy, but the gamma-ray energy release is sensitive to some parameters. Our attention is focusedon the effect of the gamma ray conversion efficiency (η_γ), which may range between 0.01 and 0.9,and which probably has a random value for different GRBs under certain conditions. Making use of theafterglow data from the literature, we carried out a complete correction to the conical openingangle formula. Within the framework of the conical jet model, we ran a simple Monte Carlo simulationfor random values of η_γ, and found that the gamma-ray energy release is narrowly clustered,whether we use a constant value of η_γ or random values for different gamma-ray bursts.

On the Evolution of the Apparent Size of Gamma-Ray Burst Remnants

The remnants of two gamma-ray bursts, GRB 030329 and GRB 041227, have been resolved by Very Long Baseline Interferometry observations. The radio counterparts were observed to expand with time. These observations provide an important way to test the dynamics of the standard fireball model. We show that the observed size evolution of these two events cannot be explained by a simple jet model, rather, it can be satisfactorily explained by the two-component jet model. It strongly hints that gamma-ray burst ejecta may have complicated structures.

X-ray Emission Lines in GRB Afterglows: Evidence for a Two-component Jet Model

X-ray emission lines have been observed in X-ray afterglows of several T-ray bursts （GRBs）. It is a major breakthrough for understanding the nature of the progenitors. It has been proposed that the X-ray emission lines can be well explained by the Geometry-Dominated models, but in these models the illuminat- ing angle is much larger than that of the collimated jet of the GRB. For GRB 011211, we have obtained an illuminating angle of about 0 - 45°, while the angle of the GRB jet is only 3.6°. So we propose that the outflow of GRBs with emission lines should have two distinct components： a wide component that illuminates the reprocessing material and produces the emission lines and a narrow one that produces the GRB. Observations show the energy for producing the emission lines is higher than that of the GRB. In this case, when the wide component dominates the afterglows, a bump should appear in the GRB afterglow. For GRB 011211, the bump should occur within 0.05 days of the GRB, which is obviously too early for the observation to catch it. Alongside the X-ray emission lines there should also be a bright emission component between the UV and the soft X-rays. These features can be tested by the Swift satellite in the near future.

On the intrinsic shape of the gamma-ray spectrum for Fermi blazars

The curvature of the γ-ray spectrum in blazars may reflect the intrinsic distribution of emitting electrons, which will further give some information on the possible acceleration and cooling processes in the emitting region. The γ-ray spectra of Fermi blazars are normally fitted either by a single power-law（PL） or a log-normal（call Logarithmic Parabola, LP） form. The possible reason for this difference is not clear. We statistically explore this issue based on the different observational properties of 1419 Fermi blazars in the 3 LAC Clean Sample. We find that the γ-ray flux（100 Me V–100 Ge V） and variability index follow bimodal distributions for PL and LP blazars, where the γ-ray flux and variability index show a positive correlation. However, the distributions of γ-ray luminosity and redshift follow a unimodal distribution. Our results suggest that the bimodal distribution of γ-ray fluxes for LP and PL blazars may not be intrinsic and all blazars may have an intrinsically curved γ-ray spectrum, and the PL spectrum is just caused by the fitting effect due to less photons.

Highly variable γ-ray emission of CTD 135 and implications for its compact symmetric structure

Theγ-ray emission properties of CTD 135,a typical compact symmetric object(CSO),are investigated with-11-year Fermi/LAT observations.We show that it has bright and significantly variable GeV emission,with theγ-ray luminosity of L_(γ)-10^(47) erg s^(-1) and a variation index of TS_(var)=1002.A quasi-periodic oscillation(QPO)with a periodicity of-460 days is detected in the global 95%false-alarm level.Theseγ-ray emission features are similar to that of blazars.Its broadband spectral energy distribution(SED)can be attributed to the radiations of the relativistic electrons accelerated in the core region and the extended region.The SED modeling shows that theγ-rays are from the core region,which has a Doppler boosting factor ofδ-10.8 and relativistically moves with a small viewing angle,being similar to blazar jets.On the base of the analysis results,we propose that the episodic activity of the central engine in CTD135 results in a blazar-like jet and the bubble-like lobes as the Fermi bubbles in the Galaxy.The strong 7-ray emission with obvious variability is from the jet radiations and the symmetric radio structure is attributed to the bubbles.The jet radiation power and disk luminosity in units of Eddington luminosity of CTD 135 follow the same relation as other young radio sources,indicating that its jet radiation may also be driven by the Eddington ratio.

A two-component jet model based on the Blandford-Znajek and Blandford-Payne processes

We propose a two-component jet model consistent with the observations of several gamma ray bursts （GRBs） and active galactic nuclei （AGNs）. The jet consists of inner and outer components, which are supposed to be driven by the Blandford- Znajek （BZ） and Blandford-Payne （BP） processes, respectively. The baryons in the BP jet are accelerated centrifugally via the magnetic field anchored in the accretion disk. The BZ jet is assumed to be entrained in a fraction of accreting matter leaving the inner edge of the accretion disk, and the baryons are accelerated in the conversion from electromagnetic energy to kinetic energy. By fitting the Lorentz factors of some GRBs （GRB 030329, GRB 051221A and GRB 080413B） and AGNs （Cen A, Mkn 501 and Mkn 421） with this model, we constrain the physical parameters related to the accretion and outflow of these two kinds of objects. We conclude that the spine/sheath structure of the jet from these sources can be interpreted naturally by the BZ and BP processes.

The connection between radio and γ-ray emission in Fermi/LAT blazars

We collect the second Large Area Telescope AGN catalog （2LAC） and Monitor of Jets in AGN with VLBA Equipment （MOJAVE） quasi-simultaneous data to investigate the radio-γ connection of blazars. The cross sample contains 166 sources. The statistical analysis based on this sample confirms positive correlations between these two bands, but the correlations become weaker as the γ-ray energy increases. The statistical results between various parameters show negative correla- tions of γ-ray photon spectral index with γ-ray loudness for both Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars （FSRQs） and BL Lacertae objects, positive correlations of γ-ray variability index with the γ-ray loudness for FSRQs, a negative correlation of the γ-ray variabil- ity index with the γ-ray photon spectral index for FSRQs, and negative correlations of γ-ray photon spectral index with γ-ray luminosity for FSRQs. These results suggest that the γ-ray variability may be due to changes inside the γ-ray emission region like the injected power, rather than changes in the photon density of the external radiation fields, and the variability amplitude tends to be larger as the γ-rays are closer to the high energy peak of the spectral energy distribution （SED）. No correlation of variabil- ity index found for BL Lacertae objects implies that variability behavior may differ below and above the peak energy.

GRB jet beaming angle statistics

Existing theory and models suggest that a Type I （merger） GRB should have a larger jet beaming angle than a Type II （collapsar） GRB, but so far no statistical evidence is available to support this suggestion. In this paper, we obtain a sample of 37 beaming angles and calculate the probability that this is true. A correction is also devised to account for the scarcity of Type I GRBs in our sample. The probability is calculated to be 83% without the correction and 71% with it.

Constraint on the counter-jet emission in gamma-ray burst afterglows from GRB 980703

We present a numerical investigation of emission from the receding jet of gamma-ray bursts.It is found that the peak time of the receding jet emission is significantly affected by synchrotron self-absorption in radio wavelengths.However,the receding jet component is generally very weak.It is observable mainly for those nearby events in a dense environment.Although GRB 980703 has been observed in radio wavelengths for more than 1000 days,we argue that the receding jet emission still has not been detected for this event.Actually,it is completely submerged by the host galaxy.

伽玛射线暴:各向同性火球还是柱形喷流?

多数伽玛射线暴的光学余辉衰减较平缓且光变曲线未见明显拐折,通常认为它们产生于各向同性火球, GRBs 970228、970508、971214、980329及980703等就是典型的例子.但柱型喷流模型其实也能对这类伽玛射线暴的余辉给出极好的拟合,因此它们完全有可能产生于柱形喷流,而并非一定是来自各向同性火球.

宇宙γ暴距离及分布

γ暴是宇宙空间中短时标γ射线突然增亮的现象.在考虑γ暴的宇宙膨胀效应、喷流效应、以及γ暴与超新星成协现象后研究了γ暴的空间分布,假设γ暴张角是高斯分布,爆发率与恒星形成率成正比,找到最佳拟合参数值为θ0=0.1,σ=1,可说明γ暴的张角集中在0.1附近,这与目前对已知红移的γ暴的分析是一致的.由<V/Vmax>计算得到γ暴的最远红移为4.2,γ暴的能量为1.5×1051ergs.

Flux and spectral variation characteristics of 3C 454.3 at the GeV band

We analyze the long-term lightcurve of 3C 454.3 observed with Fermi/LAT and investigate its relation to flux in the radio,optical and X-ray bands.By fitting the 1-day binned Ge V lightcurve with multiple Gaussian functions（MGF）,we propose that the typical variability timescale in the Ge V band is 1–10 d.The Ge V flux variation is accompanied by the spectral variation characterized as fluxtracking,i.e.,＂harder when brighter.＂The Ge V flux is correlated with the optical and X-ray fluxes,and a weak correlation betweenγ-ray flux and radio flux is also observed.Theγ-ray flux is not correlated with the optical linear polarization degree for the global lightcurves,but they show a correlation for the lightcurves before MJD 56000.The power density spectrum of the global lightcurve shows an obvious turnover at^7.7 d,which may indicate a typical variability timescale of 3C 454.3 in theγ-ray band.This is also consistent with the derived timescales by fitting the global lightcurve with MGF.The spectral evolution and an increase in the optical linear polarization degree along with the increase inγ-ray flux may indicate that the radiation particles are accelerated and the magnetic field is ordered by the shock processes during the outbursts.In addition,the nature of 3C 454.3 may be consistent with a self-organized criticality system,similar to Sagittariusand thus the outbursts could be from plasmoid ejections driven by magnetic reconnection.This may further support the idea that the jet radiation regions are magnetized.

Long-term continuous energy injection in the afterglow of GRB 060729

A long plateau phase and an amazing level of brightness have been observed in the X-ray afterglow of GRB 060729. This peculiar light curve is likely due to longterm energy injection in external shock. Here, we present a detailed numerical study of the energy injection process of magnetic dipole radiation from a strongly magnetized millisecond pulsar and model the multi-band afterglow observations. It is found that this model can successfully explain the long plateaus in the observed X-ray and optical afterglow light curves. The sharp break following the plateaus could be due to the rapid decline of the emission power of the central pulsar. At an even later time （～ 5×10^6 s）, an obvious jet break appears, which implies a relatively large half opening angle of θ ～ 0.3 for the GRB ejecta. Due to the energy injection, the Lorentz factor of the outflow is still larger than two even at 10^7 s after the GRB trigger, making the X-ray afterglow of this burst detectable by Chandra even 642 d after the burst.

e-VLBI observations of GRB 080409 afterglow with an Australasian radio telescope network

Transcontinental e-VLBI observations were conducted in June 2008 with telescopes in Australia, China and Japan. Detections were made of the radio-loud quasar PKS B0727-115, which shows superlu- minal motion, and the intra-day variable quasar PKS B0524＋034. The latter source was used as a phase reference calibrator for observations at the position of the gamma-ray burst GRB 080409, for which an upper limit to the radio emission is set. Australia Telescope Compact Array data were also used to derive a limit on the radio flux density of the GRB afterglow. These observations demonstrate the capability to form a large Australasian radio telescope network for e-VLBI, with data transported and processed in realtime over high capacity networks. This campaign represents the first step towards more regular e-VLBI observations in this region.

High energy properties of the flat spectrum radio quasar 4C 50.11

We investigate theγ-ray and X-ray properties of the flat spectrum radio quasar（FSRQ）4C 50.11 at redshift z=1.517.The Fermi-LAT data indicate that this source was in an active state since July 2013.During this active period,the source’s emission appeared harder inγ-rays,with the flux having increased by more than a factor of three.We analyze two distinct flares seen in the active state and find that the variability is as short as several hours.The Swift-XRT data show that the source was variable at X-ray energies,but no evidence is found for flux or spectral changes related to theγ-ray activity.The broad-band X-ray spectrum obtained with Swift-XRT and Nu STAR is described well by a broken power law model,with an extremely flat spectrum（Γ_1~0.1）below the break energy,E_（break）~2.1 keV,and Γ_2~1.5 above the break energy.The spectral flattening below^3 keV is likely due to the low energy cut-off in the energy distribution of the photon-emitting electron population.We fit the broad-band spectral energy distribution of the source during both the active and quiescent states.The X-ray andγ-ray emission from the jet is mainly due to the inverse-Compton scattering process,with seed photons provided from the broad line region,and the jet is estimated to be larger than the accretion power if the jet is mainly composed of electron-proton pairs.