Spectral and Polarization Properties of Photospheric Emission From Stratified Jets

TL;DR

This study investigates how stratified jet structures in gamma-ray bursts influence their spectral and polarization features, revealing that velocity shear regions induce non-thermal spectra and significant polarization, aligning with observations.

Contribution

It introduces a model of stratified jets with velocity shear regions that explains observed GRB spectra and polarization features, highlighting the role of lateral jet structure.

Findings

Non-thermal spectra arise from lateral jet structures.

Polarization degree can exceed 30% across observer angles.

Multi-component jets reproduce typical GRB spectra regardless of observer position.

Abstract

We explore the spectral and polarization properties of photospheric emissions from stratified jets in which multiple components, separated by a sharp velocity shear regions, are distributed in lateral direction. Propagation of thermal photons injected at high optical depth region are calculated until they escape from the photosphere. It is found that presence of the lateral structure within the jet leads to non-thermal feature of the spectra and significant polarization signal in the resulting emission. The deviation from thermal spectra as well as the polarization degree tends to be enhanced as the velocity gradient in the shear region increases. In particular, we show that emissions from multi-component jet can reproduce the typical observed spectra of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) irrespective to the position of the observer when a velocity shear region is closely spaced in various lateral ($\theta$) positions. The degree of polarization associated in the emission is significant (> few%) at wide range of observer angles and can be higher than 30%.