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arxiv: 1103.5746 · v4 · pith:MK37DBVDnew · submitted 2011-03-29 · 🌌 astro-ph.HE

Gamma-Ray Burst without Baryonic and Magnetic Load?

classification 🌌 astro-ph.HE
keywords accelerationbecauseemissionevengamma-rayinternalloadradiation-dominated
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We show that, contrary to common belief, internal shocks can arise in an accelerating radiation-dominated jet if it is confined even weakly to a converging opening angle because the acceleration declines. The radiation-dominated internal shock (RDIS) enables a very efficient yet highly nonthermal emission by Fermi-like photon acceleration, keeping the electron-positron ($e^{\pm}$) pair photosphere and inertia up to a high Lorentz factor >1000. In gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), a weak confinement would persist beyond the progenitor star or surrounding matter because of the fast cocoon accompanying the breakout jet. The simplest model predicts few high-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos, and a correlation between the early afterglow and the GeV-TeV prompt emission. The central engine allows a less fine-tuned baryon load than previously thought, even including pure-leptonic unmagnetized outflows.

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