Soft Gamma-Ray Spectral and Time evolution of the GRB 221009A: prompt and afterglow emission with INTEGRAL/IBIS-PICsIT

TL;DR

This study analyzes the spectral and temporal evolution of the extremely bright GRB 221009A during prompt and early afterglow phases using INTEGRAL/IBIS-PICsIT data, revealing flux-tracking behavior and afterglow decay characteristics.

Contribution

First detailed high-energy gamma-ray spectral and temporal analysis of GRB 221009A during prompt and early afterglow phases with INTEGRAL/IBIS.

Findings

Flux-tracking spectral behavior observed during prompt emission.

Spectral index varies with flux during the burst.

Afterglow emission begins around 630 seconds with a decay slope of 1.6.

Abstract

The gamma-ray burst (GRB) 221009A, with its extreme brightness, has provided the opportunity to explore GRB prompt and afterglow emission behavior on short time scales with high statistics. In conjunction with detection up to very high-energy gamma-rays, studies of this event shed light on the emission processes at work in the initial phases of GRBs emission. Using INTEGRAL/IBIS's soft gamma-ray detector, PICsIT (200-2600 keV), we studied the temporal and spectral evolution during the prompt phase and the early afterglow period. We found a "flux-tracking" behavior with the source spectrum "softer" when brighter. However the relationship between the spectral index and the flux changes during the burst. The PICsIT light curve shows afterglow emission begins to dominate at ~ T0 + 630s and decays with a slope of 1.6 +/- 0.2, consistent with the slopes reported at soft X-rays.