Is GRB afterglow emission intrinsically anisotropic ?

TL;DR

This paper explores how intrinsic anisotropy in GRB afterglow emission can cause observable effects like variability and delayed jet breaks, challenging the assumption of isotropic emission.

Contribution

It introduces the idea that anisotropic emission in GRB afterglows can explain observed variability and delays in jet break detection, which was not previously emphasized.

Findings

Anisotropic emission can produce fast variability in afterglow lightcurves.

Moderate anisotropy can significantly delay the jet break time.

Anisotropy may explain peculiar features like flares and drops in X-ray afterglows.

Abstract

The curvature of a relativistic blast wave implies that its emission arrives to observers with a spread in time. This effect is believed to wash out fast variability in the lightcurves of GRB afterglows. We note that the spreading effect is reduced if emission is anisotropic in the rest-frame of the blast wave (i.e. if emission is limb-brightened or limb-darkened). In particular, synchrotron emission is almost certainly anisotropic, and may be strongly anisotropic, depending on details of electron acceleration in the blast wave. Anisotropic afterglows can display fast and strong variability at high frequencies (above the 'fast-cooling' frequency). This may explain the existence of bizarre features in the X-ray afterglows of GRBs, such as sudden drops and flares. We also note that a moderate anisotropy can significantly delay the 'jet break' in the lightcurve, which makes it harder to detect.