Constraining the initial Lorentz factor of gamma-ray bursts under different circumburst mediums
Abstract
The initial Lorentz factor () plays a crucial role in uncovering the physical characteristics of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Previous studies have indicated that the ambient medium density index for GRBs falls in the range of 0 - 2, rather than exactly equal to 0 (homogeneous interstellar ambient) or 2 (typical stellar wind). In this work, we aim to constrain the of GRBs considering their distinct circumburst medium. We select a total of 33 GRBs for our analysis, comprising 7 X-ray GRBs and 26 optical GRBs. Subsequently, by utilizing the deceleration time of fireball , we derive the for the 33 GRBs assuming the radiation efficiency of 0.2. The inferred initial Lorentz factor was found to be from 50 to 500, consistent with previous studies. We then investigate the correlation between the and the isotropic energy (as well as the mean isotropic luminosity ), finding very tight correlations between them, i.e., ( ) with =0.2. Additionally, we verify the correlation among , the isotropic energy (or ) and the peak energy , i.e., ( ) under the same radiation efficiency (=0.2).
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2504.11743,
title = {Constraining the initial Lorentz factor of gamma-ray bursts under different circumburst mediums},
author = {Sheng-Jin Sun and Shuang-Xi Yi and Yuan-Chuan Zou and Yu-Peng Yang and Ying Qin and Qing-Wen Tang and Fa-Yin Wang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.11743},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
9 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables; Accepted for publication in Journal of High Energy Astrophysics