Prospects for GRB Science with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

TL;DR

The Fermi LAT instrument enhances gamma-ray burst observations above 100 MeV, providing new insights into burst emission mechanisms through combined spectral and temporal analysis, and improving detection capabilities via onboard and ground-based triggers.

Contribution

This paper introduces the LAT's burst detection methods and discusses its capabilities, integrating high-energy gamma-ray data with lower-energy observations to advance GRB science.

Findings

LAT will reveal detailed spectral and temporal GRB features above 100 MeV.

Combined observations with GBM will resolve key emission uncertainties.

Trigger algorithms differ in sensitivity due to computational resource differences.

Abstract

The LAT instrument on the Fermi mission will reveal the rich spectral and temporal gamma-ray burst phenomena in the > 100 MeV band. The synergy with Fermi's GBM detectors will link these observations to those in the well explored 10-1000 keV range; the addition of the > 100 MeV band observations will resolve theoretical uncertainties about burst emission in both the prompt and afterglow phases. Trigger algorithms will be applied to the LAT data both onboard the spacecraft and on the ground. The sensitivity of these triggers will differ because of the available computing resources onboard and on the ground. Here we present the LAT's burst detection methodologies and the instrument's GRB capabilities.