Theoretical modeling of the exceptional GRB 221009A afterglow

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive theoretical model of the GRB 221009A afterglow within the relativistic fireball framework, successfully explaining multiwavelength observations from early to late times with variable microphysical parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a coherent, broadband model of the GRB 221009A afterglow that accounts for high-energy gamma-ray data and temporal evolution using time-variable microphysics.

Findings

Adiabatic fireball evolution fits observed data well.

Inverse Compton emission explains high-energy spectral features.

Model reproduces afterglow properties up to 10^6 seconds.

Abstract

The extraordinary gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A provides a great opportunity to investigate the enigmatic origin and evolution of GRBs. However, the complexity of the observations associated with this GRB provides significant challenges to developing a theoretical modeling in a coherent framework. In this paper, we present a theoretical interpretation of the GRB 221009A afterglow within the relativistic fireball scenario, aiming to describe the broadband dataset with a consistent model evolution. We find that the adiabatic fireball evolution in the slow-cooling regime provides a viable scenario in good agreement with observations. Crucial to our analysis is the set of simultaneous GeV and TeV gamma-ray data obtained by AGILE and LHAASO during the early afterglow phases. Having successfully modeled as inverse Compton emission the high-energy spectral and lightcurve properties of the afterglow up to $10^4$ s, we extend our model to later times when also optical and X-ray data are available. This approach results in a coherent physical framework that successfully describes all observed properties of the afterglow up to very late times, approximately $10^6$ s. Our model requires time-variable microphysical parameters, with a moderately increasing efficiency $\varepsilon_e$ of a few percent for transferring the shock energy to radiating particles and a decreasing efficiency for magnetic field generation $\varepsilon_B$ in the range $10^{-5}$-$10^{-7}$. Fitting the detailed multifrequency spectral data across the afterglow provides a unique test of our model.