Identifying Subclasses of Long Gamma-Ray Bursts with Cumulative Light Curve Morphology of Prompt Emissions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new classification of long gamma-ray bursts based on the morphology of their prompt emission light curves, revealing subclasses with distinct correlations useful for distance measurements.

Contribution

The study proposes a novel subclassification of LGRBs using the ADCL parameter and derives more significant correlations for each subclass, improving distance estimation accuracy.

Findings

Two distinct ADCL-based subclasses with tighter correlations.

Evidence for an intermediate ADCL class deviating from established relations.

Enhanced accuracy in distance measurement for high-redshift universe.

Abstract

We argue a new classification scheme of long gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) using the morphology of the cumulative light curve of the prompt emission. We parametrize the morphology by the absolute deviation from their constant luminosity ($ADCL$) and derive the value for 36 LGRBs which have spectropic redshifts, spectral parameters determined by the Band model, 1-second peak fluxes, fluences, and 64-msec resolution light curves whose peak counts are 10 times larger than background fluctuations. Then we devide the sample according to the value of ADCL into two groups ($ADCL < 0.17$ and $ADCL > 0.17$) and, for each group, derive the spectral peak energy $E_{\rm p}$ - peak luminosity $L_{\rm p}$ correlation and the Fundamental Plane of LGRBs, which is a correlation between the spectral peak energy $E_{\rm p}$, the luminosity time $T_{\rm L}$ ($\equiv E_{\rm iso}/L_{\rm p}$ where $E_{\rm iso}$ is isotropic energy) and the peak luminosity $L_{\rm p}$. We find that both of the correlations for both groups are statistically more significant compared with ones derived from all samples. The Fundamental Planes with small and large ADCL are given by $L_{\rm p}=10^{52.53\pm 0.01}(E_{\rm p}/10^{2.71}{\rm keV})^{1.84\pm 0.03} (T_{\rm L}/10^{0.86}{\rm sec})^{0.29\pm0.08}$ with $\chi^2_{\nu}=10.93/14$ and $L_{\rm p}=10^{52.98\pm0.08}(E_{\rm p}/10^{2.71}{\rm keV})^{1.82\pm 0.09} (T_{\rm L}/10^{0.86}{\rm sec})^{0.85\pm 0.27}$ with $\chi^2_{\nu}=7.58/8$, respectively. This fact implies the existence of subclasses of LGRBs characterized by the value of $ADCL$. Also there is a hint for the existence of the intermediate-$ADCL$ class which deviates from both fundamental planes. Both relations are so tight that our result provides a new accurate distance measurement scheme up to the high redshift universe.