Pulse-wise GRB correlation: implication as a cosmological tool

TL;DR

This paper explores pulse-wise correlations in gamma-ray bursts to improve their use as cosmological tools, aiming to extend distance measurements to higher redshifts beyond supernovae, and discusses the underlying physics and spectral models involved.

Contribution

It introduces a pulse-wise GRB correlation study and discusses the potential of the 2BBPL spectral model to establish fundamental GRB correlations for cosmology.

Findings

Pulse-wise GRB correlations are promising for cosmology.

The 2BBPL spectral model may reveal fundamental physics.

Current correlations are empirical and need physical understanding.

Abstract

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are cosmological explosions which carry valuable information from the distant past of the expanding universe. One of the greatest discoveries in modern cosmology is the finding of the accelerated expansion of the universe using Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) as standard candles. However, due to the interstellar extinction SN Ia can be seen only up to a redshift $z\sim 1.5$. GRBs are considered as the potential alternative to push this limit to as high as $z\sim 10$, a redshift regime corresponding to an epoch when the universe just started to form the first structures. There exist several correlations between the energy and an observable of a GRB which can be used to derive luminosity distance. In recent works, we have studied spectral evolution within the individual pulses and obtained such correlations within the pulses. Here we summarize our results of the pulse-wise GRB correlation study. It is worth mentioning that all GRB correlations are still empirical, and we cannot use them in cosmology unless we understand the basic physics of GRBs. To this end, we need to investigate the prompt emission spectrum which is so far generally described by the empirical Band function. We shall discuss our current understanding of the radiation process particularly the finding of two blackbodies and a powerlaw (the 2BBPL model) as the generic spectral model and its implication. This is a work in progress and we expect to obtain the most fundamental GRB correlation based on our improved spectral model.