{
  "id": "1109.2441",
  "version": "v2",
  "published": "2011-09-12T12:26:59.000Z",
  "updated": "2011-10-04T10:49:44.000Z",
  "title": "Observations of particle acceleration in the blast waves of Gamma-ray Bursts",
  "authors": [
    "P. A. Curran"
  ],
  "comment": "6 pages, 2 figures; accepted to the proceedings of the meeting, HEPRO III: High Energy Phenomena in Relativistic Outflows (Barcelona, June 2011)",
  "categories": [
    "astro-ph.HE"
  ],
  "abstract": "The electron energy distribution index, p, is a fundamental parameter of the process by which electrons at shock fronts are accelerated to relativistic speeds and by which they radiate, via synchrotron emission. This acceleration process is applicable to a myriad of astronomical jet sources such as AGN, X-ray binaries and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), as well as to particle acceleration in the solar wind and supernovae, and the acceleration of cosmic rays. The accurate measurement of the distribution of p is of fundamental importance to differentiate between the possible theories of electron acceleration at any relativistic shock front; there is division as to whether p has a universal value or whether it has a distribution, and if so, what that distribution is. Here one such source of synchrotron emission is examined: the blast waves of GRB afterglows observed by the Swift satellite. Within the framework of the GRB blast wave model, the constraints placed on the distribution of p by the observed X-ray spectral and temporal indices are examined and the distribution parametrized. The results show that the observed distribution of spectral indices is inconsistent with an underlying distribution of p composed of a single discrete value but consistent with a Gaussian distribution centred at p = 2.4 and having a width of 0.6. This finding disagrees with theoretical work that argues for a single, universal value of p, but also demonstrates that the width of the distribution is not as wide as has been suggested by some authors.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v2",
      "updated": "2011-10-04T10:49:44.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "subjects": [
      "98.70.Rz",
      "95.75.Pq",
      "95.85.Nv"
    ],
    "keywords": [
      "particle acceleration",
      "gamma-ray bursts",
      "observations",
      "synchrotron emission",
      "electron energy distribution index"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "doi": "10.1142/S2010194512004655",
      "journal": "International Journal of Modern Physics Conference Series",
      "year": 2012,
      "volume": 8,
      "pages": 235
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 6,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "inspire": 927143,
      "adsabs": "2012IJMPS...8..235C"
    }
  }
}