Photospheric Prompt Emission From Long Gamma Ray Burst Simulations -- III. X-ray Spectropolarimetry

TL;DR

This study uses radiative transfer simulations to predict X-ray spectropolarimetric signatures of long GRBs, providing insights into the prompt emission mechanisms and aiding future observational constraints.

Contribution

It introduces detailed radiative transfer calculations of X-ray spectropolarimetry for long GRB models, linking simulations with potential future observations.

Findings

X-ray lightcurve T90 effectively indicates central engine activity duration.

Simulations replicate observed characteristics of GRB240315C.

Predictions for future X-ray spectropolarimetric measurements are provided.

Abstract

While Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) have the potential to shed light on the astrophysics of jets, compact objects, and cosmology, a major set back in their use as probes of these phenomena stems from our incomplete knowledge surrounding their prompt emission. There are numerous models that can account for various observations of GRBs in the gamma-ray and X-ray energy ranges due to the flexibility in the number of parameters that can be tuned to increase agreement with data. Furthermore, these models lack predictive power that can test future spectropolarimetric observations of GRBs across the electromagnetic spectrum. In this work, we use the MCRaT radiative transfer code to calculate the X-ray spectropolarimetric signatures expected from the photospheric model for two unique hydrodynamic simulations of long GRBs. We make time-resolved and time-integrated comparisons between the X-ray and gamma-ray mock observations, shedding light on the information that can be obtained from X-ray prompt emission signatures. Our results show that the $T_{90}$ derived from the X-ray lightcurve is the best diagnostic for the time that the central engine is active. We also find that our simulations reproduce the observed characteristics of the Einstein Probe detected GRB240315C. Based on our simulations, we are also able to make predictions for future X-ray spectropolarimetric measurements. Our results show the importance of conducting global radiative transfer calculations of GRB jets to better contextualize the prompt emission observations and constrain the mechanisms that produce the prompt emission.