From precursor to afterglow: The complex evolution of GRB 210312B

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Hauptverfasser: Jelínek, M., Grebenev, S. A., Minaev, P. Yu., Thöne, C. C., Postigo, A. de Ugarte, Rossi, A., Paris, D., Kann, D. A., Fernández, J. F. Agüí, Štrobl, J., Pozanenko, A. S., Chelovekov, I. V., Novotný, F., Karpov, S., Topinka, M., Blažek, M., Vítek, S., Hudec, R.
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Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Jelínek, M.
Grebenev, S. A.
Minaev, P. Yu.
Thöne, C. C.
Postigo, A. de Ugarte
Rossi, A.
Paris, D.
Kann, D. A.
Fernández, J. F. Agüí
Štrobl, J.
Pozanenko, A. S.
Chelovekov, I. V.
Novotný, F.
Karpov, S.
Topinka, M.
Blažek, M.
Vítek, S.
Hudec, R.
author_facet Jelínek, M.
Grebenev, S. A.
Minaev, P. Yu.
Thöne, C. C.
Postigo, A. de Ugarte
Rossi, A.
Paris, D.
Kann, D. A.
Fernández, J. F. Agüí
Štrobl, J.
Pozanenko, A. S.
Chelovekov, I. V.
Novotný, F.
Karpov, S.
Topinka, M.
Blažek, M.
Vítek, S.
Hudec, R.
contents Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are characterized by a brief gamma-ray flash followed by a longer-lasting multiwavelength afterglow. The basic mechanism is largely understood, and the early afterglow evolution often shows complex features that provide crucial insights into the transition between prompt and afterglow phases. We present a detailed analysis of GRB 210312B, detected by INTEGRAL, which exhibits both a precursor and a complex optical afterglow evolution. Through careful modeling using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, we disentangled the contributions of an early optical flare and forward shock emission. Our analysis reveals a gamma-ray precursor 17 s before the main pulse with a significantly softer spectrum (hardness ratio 0.37 +/- 0.12 versus 1.9 +/- 0.4). The optical afterglow shows an early peak at 76.0^{+4.4}{-5.1} s characterized by a steep rise (α{flare,1} = -4.1^{+1.6}{-2.3}) and decay (α{flare,2} = 4.0^{+2.1}{-1.5}), followed by forward shock emission with a broad hydrodynamic peak at around 150 s. In the subsequent plateau phase, the afterglow initially has a complex structure before settling into a final power law decay consistent with an electron distribution index p = 2.36^{+0.18}{-0.15}. The negligible host extinction (A_{V,host} = -0.073^{+0.100}_{-0.078}) suggests we are observing the intrinsic afterglow spectrum. The host system consists of two luminous (M_B ~ -21.7) components separated by 11.5 kpc at z = 1.069, which are possibly an interacting galaxy pair. GRB 210312B provides a rare opportunity to study the prompt-to-afterglow transition in detail. The consistency of the forward shock component with standard afterglow theory supports our physical interpretation despite the lack of X-ray coverage.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_16712
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle From precursor to afterglow: The complex evolution of GRB 210312B
Jelínek, M.
Grebenev, S. A.
Minaev, P. Yu.
Thöne, C. C.
Postigo, A. de Ugarte
Rossi, A.
Paris, D.
Kann, D. A.
Fernández, J. F. Agüí
Štrobl, J.
Pozanenko, A. S.
Chelovekov, I. V.
Novotný, F.
Karpov, S.
Topinka, M.
Blažek, M.
Vítek, S.
Hudec, R.
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are characterized by a brief gamma-ray flash followed by a longer-lasting multiwavelength afterglow. The basic mechanism is largely understood, and the early afterglow evolution often shows complex features that provide crucial insights into the transition between prompt and afterglow phases. We present a detailed analysis of GRB 210312B, detected by INTEGRAL, which exhibits both a precursor and a complex optical afterglow evolution. Through careful modeling using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, we disentangled the contributions of an early optical flare and forward shock emission. Our analysis reveals a gamma-ray precursor 17 s before the main pulse with a significantly softer spectrum (hardness ratio 0.37 +/- 0.12 versus 1.9 +/- 0.4). The optical afterglow shows an early peak at 76.0^{+4.4}{-5.1} s characterized by a steep rise (α{flare,1} = -4.1^{+1.6}{-2.3}) and decay (α{flare,2} = 4.0^{+2.1}{-1.5}), followed by forward shock emission with a broad hydrodynamic peak at around 150 s. In the subsequent plateau phase, the afterglow initially has a complex structure before settling into a final power law decay consistent with an electron distribution index p = 2.36^{+0.18}{-0.15}. The negligible host extinction (A_{V,host} = -0.073^{+0.100}_{-0.078}) suggests we are observing the intrinsic afterglow spectrum. The host system consists of two luminous (M_B ~ -21.7) components separated by 11.5 kpc at z = 1.069, which are possibly an interacting galaxy pair. GRB 210312B provides a rare opportunity to study the prompt-to-afterglow transition in detail. The consistency of the forward shock component with standard afterglow theory supports our physical interpretation despite the lack of X-ray coverage.
title From precursor to afterglow: The complex evolution of GRB 210312B
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.16712