On the thermal and double episode emissions in GRB 970828

TL;DR

This paper interprets GRB 970828 as a double episode emission involving proto-black-hole activity and a canonical GRB, highlighting the transition to black hole formation and environmental effects on observed emissions.

Contribution

It provides a novel interpretation of GRB 970828 as a double episode event with detailed physical parameters and environmental context, extending recent theoretical models to this specific burst.

Findings

First episode: proto-black-hole emission in 40s.

Second episode: canonical GRB with $E_{tot}^{e^+e^-} = 1.60 imes 10^{53}$ erg.

Environment with high particle density and dense clouds.

Abstract

Following the recent theoretical interpretation of GRB 090618 and GRB 101023, we here interpret GRB 970828 in terms of a double episode emission: the first episode, observed in the first 40 s of the emission, is interpreted as the proto-black-hole emission; the second episode, observed after t$_0$+50 s, as a canonical gamma ray burst. The transition between the two episodes marks the black hole formation. The characteristics of the real GRB, in the second episode, are an energy of $E_{tot}^{e^+e^-} = 1.60 \times 10^{53}$ erg, a baryon load of $B = 7 \times 10^{-3}$ and a bulk Lorentz factor at transparency of $\Gamma = 142.5$. The clear analogy with GRB 090618 would require also in GRB 970828 the presence of a possible supernova. We also infer that the GRB exploded in an environment with a large average particle density $<n> \, \approx 10^3$ part/cm$^3$ and dense clouds characterized by typical dimensions of $(4 - 8) \times 10^{14}$ cm and $\delta n/n \propto 10$. Such an environment is in line with the observed large column density absorption, which might have darkened both the supernova emission and the GRB optical afterglow.