On the magnetization of gamma-ray burst blast waves

Martin Lemoine (1) , Zhuo Li , Xiang-Yu Wang

1 IAP - Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris

The origin of magnetic fields that permeate the blast waves of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is a long-standing problem. The present paper argues that in four GRBs revealing extended emission at >100 MeV, with follow-up in the radio, optical and X-ray domains at later times, this magnetization can be described as the partial decay of the micro-turbulence that is generated in the shock precursor. Assuming that the bulk of the extended emission >100 MeV can be interpreted as synchrotron emission of shock-accelerated electrons, we model the multi-wavelength light curves of GRB 090902B, GRB 090323, GRB 090328 and GRB 110731A, using a simplified then a full synchrotron calculation with power-law-decaying micro-turbulence ɛ_B ≈ t^α_t (t denotes the time since injection through the shock, in the comoving blast frame). We find that these models point to a consistent value of the decay exponent -0.5 ≲ α_t ≲ -0.4.

Mots clés: acceleration of particles; shock waves; gamma-ray burst: general; Physics - Plasma Physics

Domaines: Planète et Univers [physics]; Astrophysique [astro-ph]

Martin Lemoine, Zhuo Li, Xiang-Yu Wang. On the magnetization of gamma-ray burst blast waves. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2013, 435, pp.3009-3016. ⟨10.1093/mnras/stt1494⟩. ⟨hal-03645448⟩