The Gamma-ray Bursts fundamental plane correlation as a cosmological tool

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the gamma-ray burst fundamental plane relation, when properly corrected for selection and evolution effects, can serve as a reliable high-redshift cosmological probe, providing constraints consistent with the standard model.

Contribution

The study introduces a refined 3D GRB fundamental plane relation with reduced intrinsic scatter, enabling its use in cosmological parameter estimation up to redshift 5.

Findings

The corrected fundamental plane relation has an intrinsic scatter of 0.18 ± 0.07.

GRB data alone can constrain cosmological parameters consistent with ΛCDM.

Combining GRBs with SNe Ia and BAO improves high-redshift cosmological measurements.

Abstract

Cosmological models and their corresponding parameters are widely debated because of the current discrepancy between the results of the Hubble constant, $H_{0}$, obtained by SNe Ia, and the Planck data from the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. Thus, considering high redshift probes like Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) is a necessary step. However, using GRB correlations between their physical features to infer cosmological parameters is difficult because GRB luminosities span several orders of magnitude. In our work, we use a 3-dimensional relation between the peak prompt luminosity, the rest-frame time at the end of the X-ray plateau, and its corresponding luminosity in X-rays: the so-called 3D Dainotti fundamental plane relation. We correct this relation by considering the selection and evolutionary effects with a reliable statistical method, obtaining a lower central value for the intrinsic scatter, $\sigma_{int}=0.18 \pm 0.07$ (47.1 \%) compared to previous results, when we adopt a particular set of GRBs with well-defined morphological features, called the platinum sample. We have used the GRB fundamental plane relation alone with both Gaussian and uniform priors on cosmological parameters and in combination with SNe Ia and BAO measurements to infer cosmological parameters like $H_{0}$, the matter density in the universe ($\Omega_{M}$), and the dark energy parameter $w$ for a $w$CDM model. Our results are consistent with the parameters given by the $\Lambda$CDM model but with the advantage of using cosmological probes detected up to $z=5$, much larger than the one observed for the furthest SNe Ia.