Is GeV Emission from Gamma-Ray Bursts of External Shock Origin?

TL;DR

This study models the external shock origin of GeV emission in GRBs, finding that late-time LAT observations fit the external shock model, but early emission likely involves internal processes.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of four GRBs, demonstrating that early GeV emission involves internal processes, while late emission aligns with external shock predictions.

Findings

Late LAT light curves fit external shock models

Early GeV emission likely has internal origin

Continuous energy injection affects early emission levels

Abstract

Recent observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) revealed a power law decay feature of the high energy emission (above 100 MeV), which led to the suggestion that it originates from a (probably radiative) external shock. We analyze four GRBs (080916C, 090510, 090902B and 090926A) jointly detected by Fermi LAT and Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM), which have high quality lightcurves in both instrument energy bands. Using the MeV prompt emission (GBM) data, we can record the energy output from the central engine as a function of time. Assuming a constant radiative efficiency, we are able to track energy accumulation in the external shock using our internal/external shell model code. By solving for the early evolution of both an adiabatic and a radiative blastwave, we calculate the high energy emission lightcurve in the LAT band and compare it with the observed one for each burst. The late time LAT light curves after T90 can be well fit by the model. However, due to continuous energy injection into the blastwave during the prompt emission phase, the early external shock emission cannot account for the observed GeV flux level. The high energy emission during the prompt phase (before T90) is most likely a superposition of a gradually enhancing external shock component and a dominant emission component that is of an internal origin.