Unveiling GRB hard X-ray afterglow emission with Simbol-X

TL;DR

This paper discusses the potential of Simbol-X to significantly advance understanding of GRB afterglow emissions above 10 keV, an area previously limited by detector sensitivity, by enabling follow-up observations of bright GRBs.

Contribution

It introduces the use of Simbol-X's unprecedented sensitivity in the 10-80 keV band for studying GRB afterglows, promising a breakthrough in the field.

Findings

Simbol-X will improve detection of hard X-ray afterglows.

Follow-up observations can challenge existing GRB emission models.

Potential to revise the understanding of GRB shock mechanisms.

Abstract

Despite the enormous progress occurred in the last 10 years, the Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB) phenomenon is still far to be fully understood. One of the most important open issues that have still to be settled is the afterglow emission above 10 keV, which is almost completely unexplored. This is due to the lack of sensitive enough detectors operating in this energy band. The only detection, by the BeppoSAX/PDS instrument (15-200 keV), of hard X-ray emission from a GRB (the very bright GRB 990123), combined with optical and radio observations, seriously challenged the standard scenario in which the dominant mechanism is synchrotron radiation produced in the shock of a ultra-relativistic fireball with the ISM, showing the need of a substantial revision of present models. In this respect, thanks to its unprecedented sensitivity in the 10-80 keV energy band, Simbol-X, through follow-up observations of bright GRBs detected and localized by GRB dedicated experiments that will fly in the >2010 time frame, will provide an important breakthrough in the GRB field.