Date of Award
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Space Science
Committee Chair
Peter Veres
Committee Member
Adam Goldstein
Committee Member
Michael S. Briggs
Committee Member
Max Bonamente
Committee Member
Qiang Hu
Subject(s)
Gamma ray bursts, Spectrum analysis
Abstract
Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) are ultra-relativistic jets of plasma and radiation formed by two known progenitors: core-collapse supernovae (a.k.a. “collapsars”) and binary mergers of compact objects, especially neutron stars. They have been studied extensively since their discovery in the 1960s, but many aspects of their prompt emission remain a mystery. In the first part of this dissertation I present the systematic spectral analyses of GRBs detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor during its first ten years of operation. It consists of spectral fits from 2297 GRBs, resulting in a compendium of over 18,000 spectra. In the second part, I explore fitting GRB spectra with physically-motivated models, and thus revisit the viability of synchrotron radiation as the primary source of GRB prompt emission.
Recommended Citation
Poolakkil, Suraj, "Fermi-GBM : the 10 year spectral catalog and exploring physically-motivated models to fit gamma-ray burst spectra" (2023). Dissertations. 360.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-dissertations/360