Naked-eye optical flash from GRB 080319B: Tracing the decaying neutrons in the outflow
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
2009-01-21 v1
Abstract
For an unsteady baryonic gamma-ray burst (GRB) outflow, the fast and slow proton shells collide with each other and produce energetic soft gamma-ray emission. If the outflow has a significant neutron component, the ultra-relativistic neutrons initially expand freely until decaying at a larger radius. The late time proton shells ejected from the GRB central engine, after powering the regular internal shocks, will sweep these decay products and give rise to very bright UV/optical emission. The naked-eye optical flash from GRB 080319B, an energetic explosion in the distant universe, can be well explained in this way.
Cite
@article{arxiv.0901.2128,
title = {Naked-eye optical flash from GRB 080319B: Tracing the decaying neutrons in the outflow},
author = {Yi-Zhong Fan and Bing Zhang and Da-Ming Wei},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0901.2128},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
4 pages, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D as a Rapid Communication