Fermi GBM Observations of GRB 150101B: A Second Nearby Event with a Short Hard Spike and a Soft Tail

E. Burns , P. Veres , V. Connaughton , J. Racusin , M.S. Briggs , N. Christensen (1) , A. Goldstein , R. Hamburg , D. Kocevski , J. Mcenery , E. Bissaldi , T. Dal Canton , W.H. Cleveland , M.H. Gibby , C.M. Hui , A. von Kienlin , B. Mailyan , W.S. Paciesas , O.J. Roberts , K. Siellez , M. Stanbro , C.A. Wilson-Hodge

1 ARTEMIS - Astrophysique Relativiste Théories Expériences Métrologie Instrumentation Signaux

In light of the joint multimessenger detection of a binary neutron star merger as the gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A and in gravitational waves as GW170817, we reanalyze the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor data of one of the closest short gamma-ray bursts: GRB 150101B. We find this burst is composed of a short hard spike followed by a comparatively long soft tail. This apparent two-component nature is phenomenologically similar to that of GRB 170817A. While GRB 170817A was distinct from the previously known population of short gamma-ray bursts in terms of its prompt intrinsic energetics, GRB 150101B is not. Despite these differences, GRB 150101B can be modeled as a more on-axis version of GRB 170817A. Identifying a similar signature in two of the closest short gamma-ray bursts suggests the soft tail is common, but generally undetectable in more distant events. If so, it will be possible to identify nearby short gamma-ray bursts from the prompt gamma-ray emission alone, aiding the search for kilonovae.

Domaines: Astrophysique [astro-ph]

E. Burns, P. Veres, V. Connaughton, J. Racusin, M.S. Briggs, et al.. Fermi GBM Observations of GRB 150101B: A Second Nearby Event with a Short Hard Spike and a Soft Tail. 2018. ⟨hal-01851209⟩