All-sky sensitivity of HAWC to Gamma-Ray Bursts

TL;DR

This paper evaluates HAWC's all-sky sensitivity to gamma-ray bursts at around 100 GeV, proposing a search algorithm optimized for short GRBs to enhance detection prospects and scientific insights.

Contribution

It introduces a simple, all-sky search algorithm for HAWC data that improves detection sensitivity to short GRBs and similar transients.

Findings

Sensitivity estimates for HAWC to short GRBs at 100 GeV

Development of an all-sky search algorithm for transient detection

Potential to constrain EBL models and Lorentz invariance violations

Abstract

The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory is a ground-based TeV gamma-ray observatory in the state of Puebla, Mexico at an altitude of 4100 m. Its 22,000 m$^2$ instrumented area, wide field of view ($\sim$2 sr), and >95% uptime make it an ideal instrument for discovering gamma-ray burst (GRB) emission at $\sim$100 GeV. Such a discovery would provide key information about the origins of prompt GRB emission as well as constraints on extra-galactic background light (EBL) models and the violation of Lorentz invariance. We will present prospects for discovering GRB emission at $\sim$100 GeV with a simple, all-sky search algorithm using HAWC data that is most sensitive to short GRBs. The search algorithm presented here can also be used to detect other short transients with timescales and fluxes similar to short GRBs.