GRB 221009A: The B.O.A.T. Burst that Shines in Gamma Rays

Abstract We present a complete analysis of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data of GRB 221009A, the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever detected. The burst emission above 30 MeV detected by the LAT preceded, by 1 s, the low-energy (<10 MeV) pulse that triggered the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM), as has been observed in other GRBs. The prompt phase of GRB 221009A lasted a few hundred seconds. It was so bright that we identify a bad time interval of 64 s caused by the extremely high flux of hard X-rays and soft gamma rays, during which the event reconstruction efficiency was poor and the dead time fraction quite high. The late-time emission decayed as a power law, but the extrapolation of the late-time emission during the first 450 s suggests that the afterglow started during the prompt emission. We also found that high-energy events observed by the LAT are incompatible with synchrotron origin, and, during the prompt emission, are more likely related to an extra component identified as synchrotron self-Compton (SSC). A remarkable 400 GeV photon, detected by the LAT 33 ks after the GBM trigger and directionally consistent with the location of GRB 221009A, is hard to explain as a product of SSC or TeV electromagnetic cascades, and the process responsible for its origin is uncertain. Because of its proximity and energetic nature, GRB 221009A is an extremely rare event.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Published
2025-02-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/ada272
Citations
15
Primary Topic
Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
17.32

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GRB 221009A: The B.O.A.T. Burst that Shines in Gamma Rays

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GRB 221009A: The B.O.A.T. Burst that Shines in Gamma Rays

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article en
15 citations

Abstract

Abstract We present a complete analysis of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data of GRB 221009A, the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever detected. The burst emission above 30 MeV detected by the LAT preceded, by 1 s, the low-energy (<10 MeV) pulse that triggered the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM), as has been observed in other GRBs. The prompt phase of GRB 221009A lasted a few hundred seconds. It was so bright that we identify a bad time interval of 64 s caused by the extremely high flux of hard X-rays and soft gamma rays, during which the event reconstruction efficiency was poor and the dead time fraction quite high. The late-time emission decayed as a power law, but the extrapolation of the late-time emission during the first 450 s suggests that the afterglow started during the prompt emission. We also found that high-energy events observed by the LAT are incompatible with synchrotron origin, and, during the prompt emission, are more likely related to an extra component identified as synchrotron self-Compton (SSC). A remarkable 400 GeV photon, detected by the LAT 33 ks after the GBM trigger and directionally consistent with the location of GRB 221009A, is hard to explain as a product of SSC or TeV electromagnetic cascades, and the process responsible for its origin is uncertain. Because of its proximity and energetic nature, GRB 221009A is an extremely rare event.

The Astrophysical Journal Supplement SeriesVol. 277(1)
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR), Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation (FR), Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier (FR), Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux (FR), CEA Paris-Saclay (FR), Laboratoire de Physique des 2 Infinis Irène Joliot-Curie (FR), Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet (FR)
U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, University of Leicester, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Vetenskapsrådet, National Research Council of Thailand, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
17.32
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