A. S. Pozanenko

Extended emission from short gamma-ray bursts detected with SPI-ACS/INTEGRAL

The short duration (T90 < 2 s) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected in the SPI-ACS experiment onboard the INTEGRAL observatory are investigated. Averaged light curves have been constructed for various groups of events, including short GRBs and unidentified short events. Extended emission has been found in the averaged light curves of both short GRBs and unidentified short events. It is shown that the fraction of the short GRBs in the total number of SPI-ACS GRBs can range from 30 to 45%, which is considerably larger than has been thought previously.

Catalog of short gamma-ray transients detected in the SPI/INTEGRAL experiment

We analyzed the data obtained by the SPI telescope onboard the INTEGRAL observatory to search for short transient events with a duration from 1 ms to a few tens of seconds. An algorithm for identifying gamma-ray events against the background of a large number of charged particle interactions with the detector has been developed. The classification of events was made. Apart from the events associated with cosmic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) confirmed by other space experiments and the activity of known soft gamma repeaters (for example, SGR 1806-20), previously unreported GRBs have been found. GRB candidates and short gamma-ray events probably associated with the activity of known SGRs and AXPs have been selected. The spectral evolution of 28 bright GRBs from the catalog has been studied extensively. A new method for investigating the spectral evolution is proposed. The energy dependence of the spectral lag for bursts with a simple structure of their light curves and for individual pulses of multipulse events is shown to be described by a logarithmic function, lag ∼ Alog(E). It has been established that the parameter A depends on the pulse duration, with the dependence being universal for all of the investigated GRBs. No negative spectral lags have been detected for bursts with a simple structure of their light curves.

Precursors of short gamma-ray bursts in the SPI-ACS/INTEGRAL experiment

We have analyzed the light curves of 519 short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected in the SPI-ACS/INTEGRAL experiment from December 2002 toMay 2014 to search for precursors (a possible activity of the GRB source before the beginning of themain episode). Both the light curves of 519 individual events and the averaged light curve of 372 brightest bursts have been analyzed. In several cases, we have found and thoroughly studied precursor candidates based on SPI-ACS/INTEGRAL, GBM/Fermi, and LAT/Fermi data. A statistical analysis of the averaged light curve for the entire sample of short bursts has revealed no regular precursor. Upper limits for the relative intensity of precursors have been estimated. We have compared our results with those of other authors; no convincing evidence for the existence of precursors of short GRBs has been found. We show that the fraction of short GRBs with precursors is less than 0.4% of all short bursts.

Short gamma-ray bursts in the SPI-ACS INTEGRAL experiment

We analyze short-duration gamma-ray bursts (T90<2 s) recorded in the SPI-ACS experiment of the INTEGRAL observatory. We found an extended emission in the averaged light curve of both short-duration gamma-ray bursts and unidentified short-duration events. We show that the fraction of short-duration gamma-ray bursts among all the gamma-ray bursts recorded in the SPI-ACS experiment may be as high as 30 to 45%. We find the fraction of short gamma-ray bursts to augment while increasing the lower energy threshold. We report evidence for the absence of the class of very short gamma-ray bursts.

GRB 070912—A gamma-ray burst recorded from the direction to the galactic center

The detection of GRB 070912 recorded in the field of view of the SPI, IBIS/ISGRI, and JEMX telescope on September 12, 2007, at 07h32m19s (UT) when analyzing the INTEGRAL archival data is reported. The burst is one of the well-localized events closest to the direction toward the Galactic center (less than from the source Sgr A*) over the entire history of burst observations. Since it was not promptly revealed by the INTEGRAL Burst Alert System (IBAS), no information about its coordinates was disseminated and no search for optical and soft X-ray afterglows was conducted. The 3–200 keV fluence was 2.8 × 10−6 erg cm−2 and the peak flux was 1.8 × 10−7 erg cm−2 s−1 (1.9 ph cm−2 s−1). The burst was also observed in the KONUS/WIND experiment in the background mode, although it was not included in the list of recorded bursts. GRB 070912 is among a limited number of events for which a broadband (3 keV-2 MeV) spectrum of X-ray and gamma-ray emission has been obtained and their evolution from the first instants to complete decay has been traced. It shows how the fast evolution of its spectrum gives rise to absorption features at energies of ∼100 keV.Within the first seconds after the onset of the burst, its spectrum was a power law with a photon index of ∼0.8, but it exhibited a noticeable deficit of photons at energies below 20 keV. Such an initial deficit (a delay in appearance) of X-ray photons can be explained by their “high-latitude” origin relative to the line of sight. The spectrum rapidly softened and at the decay phase was well described by a blackbody (or Wien) law. This allows the distance (redshift) to the burst source to be estimated.

Search for nearby host galaxies of short gamma-ray bursts detected and well localized by BATSE/IPN

We have collected the observational data accumulated before the Swift experiment to check the possible connection of short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with low-redshift galaxies. The BATSE/IPN experimental data on well-localized short GRBs and the SDSS DR5 and PSCz catalogs of galaxies are used. The PSCz sky coverage has allowed us to search for host galaxies for a sample of 34 short GRBs. One or more galaxies have been found in the error boxes of six bursts, but the probability of a chance coincidence for each of them is high. No excess of nearby galaxies in the total sample has been detected. The 90% confidence limit corresponds to the fact that no more than 7%of the short GRBs could originate in nearby galaxies of the PSCz sample. The estimated upper limit of several percent may be considered to be valid in the volume z = 0.015–0.025. Based on the results of our search, we have estimated the lower limits for the isotropic energies Eγiso of 31 short bursts from our sample. Their values lie within the range 1.0 × 1047–2.7 × 1049 erg. The possible fraction of the flares from magnetars in our sample of short GRBs is discussed. The SDSS sky coverage is currently insufficient to perform a similar analysis.

Searching for the host galaxy of GRB 920925C

GRB 920925C is probably the first cosmic gamma-ray burst with an optical afterglow detected from archival data. We present the results of our observations with the Shajn mirror telescope of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory aimed at searching for the host galaxy at the afterglow location; we have determined the boundaries of distances to the possible host galaxy.

Search for Short Transient Gamma-Ray Events in SPI Experiment Onboard INTEGRAL: The Algorithm and Results

We consider the possibilities for a searching and analyzing various short transient gamma-ray events in the archival data of the SPI experiment onboard the INTEGRAL observatory. The problems of the raw observational data processing, including the search algorithm and the method of automated classification of detected events based on a set of various criteria are discussed. The results of the analysis of the SPI/INTEGRAL archived data obtained for the period 2003–2010 are presented.

Cosmic gamma-ray bursts detected in the RELEC experiment onboard the Vernov satellite

The RELEC scientific instrumentation onboard the Vernov spacecraft launched on July 8, 2014, included the DRGE gamma-ray and electron spectrometer. This instrument incorporates a set of scintillation phoswich detectors, including four identical X-ray and gamma-ray detectors in the energy range from 10 keV to 3 MeV with a total area of ~500 cm2 directed toward the nadir, and an electron spectrometer containing three mutually orthogonal detector units with a geometry factor of ~2 cm2 sr, which is also sensitive to X-rays and gamma-rays. The goal of the space experiment with the DRGE instrument was to investigate phenomena with fast temporal variability, in particular, terrestrial gammaray flashes (TGFs) and magnetospheric electron precipitations. However, the detectors of the DRGE instrument could record cosmic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and allowed one not only to perform a detailed analysis of the gamma-ray variability but also to compare the time profiles with the measurements made by other instruments of the RELEC scientific instrumentation (the detectors of optical and ultraviolet flashes, the radio-frequency and low-frequency analyzers of electromagnetic field parameters). We present the results of our observations of cosmicGRB 141011A and GRB 141104A, compare the parameters obtained in the GBM/Fermi and KONUS–Wind experiments, and estimate the redshifts and Eiso for the sources of these GRBs. The detectability of GRBs and good agreement between the independent estimates of their parameters obtained in various experiments are important factors of the successful operation of similar detectors onboard the Lomonosov spacecraft.

SEARCH FOR NEARBY GALAXIES IN BATSE/IPN SHORT GRB ERROR BOXES

Recent observations have shown an apparent association of short duration gamma-ray bursts with a variety of host galaxies at moderate redshifts. However, a statistical analysis with a large sample of BATSE GRBs indicates that at least some fraction of short GRBs originates in the local universe. We have considered pre-Swift well-localized short GRBs to examine a possible association of these bursts with galaxies at low redhsifts. We have used BATSE/IPN localizations of short bursts and SDSS DR5/PSCz catalogs as galaxies surveys.