Early photometric and spectroscopic observations of the extraordinarily bright INTEGRAL-detected GRB 221009A

Sánchez-Ramírez R, Guedes Lang R, Pozanenko A, Martínez-Huerta H, Hu YD, Pandey SB, Gupta R, Ror AK, Zhang BB, Caballero-García MD, Oates SR, Pérez-García I, Guziy S, Fernández-García EJ, Wu SY, Almeida L, Aryan A, Belkin S, Bom CR, Butner M, Burkhonov O, Carrasco-García I, Castellón A, Castro Tirado MA, Chelovekov I, Egamberdiyev SA, García-Benito R, García González SA, Grebenev S, Kilpatrick CD, Klunko E, Makler M, Minaev P, Mkrtchyan A, Moskvitin A, Navarete F, Novichonok A, Pankov N, Passas-Varo M, Pérez Del Pulgar C, Reina Terol A, Smith JA, Tinyanont S, Tucker DL, Uklein R, Volnova A, Wiesner MP, Gritsevich M, Castro-Tirado AJ (2024)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

Book Volume: 692

Article Number: A3

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202449783

Abstract

Context. GRB 221009A, initially detected as an X-ray transient by Swift, was later revealed to have triggered the Fermi satellite about an hour earlier, marking it as a post-peak observation of the event's emission. This GRB distinguished itself as the brightest ever recorded, presenting an unparalleled opportunity to probe the complexities of GRB physics. The unprecedented brightness, however, challenged observation efforts, as it led to the saturation of several high-energy instruments. Aims. Our study seeks to investigate the nature of the INTEGRAL-detected GRB 221009A and elucidate the environmental conditions conducive to these exceptionally powerful bursts. Moreover, we aim to understand the fundamental physics illuminated by the detection of teraelectronvolt (TeV) photons emitted by GRB 221009A. Methods. We conducted detailed analyses of early photometric and spectroscopic observations that span from the Fermi trigger through to the initial days following the prompt emission phase in order to characterize GRB 221009A's afterglow, and we complemented these analyses with a comparative study. Results. Our findings from analyzing INTEGRAL data confirm GRB 221009A as the most energetic event observed to date. Early optical observations during the prompt phase negate the presence of bright optical emissions with internal or external shock origins. Spectroscopic analyses enabled us to measure GRB 221009A's distance and line-of-sight properties. The afterglow's temporal and spectral analysis suggests prolonged activity of the central engine and a transition in the circumburst medium's density. Finally, we discuss the implications for fundamental physics of detecting photons as energetic as 18 TeV from GRB 221009A. Conclusions. Early optical observations have proven invaluable for distinguishing between the potential origins of optical emissions in GRB 221009A, underscoring their utility in GRB physics studies. However, the rarity of such data underscores the need for dedicated telescopes capable of synchronous multiwavelength observations. Additionally, our analysis suggests that the host galaxies of TeV GRBs share commonalities with those of long and short GRBs. Expanding the sample of TeV GRBs could further solidify these findings.

Authors with CRIS profile

Additional Organisation(s)

Involved external institutions

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) India (IN) Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia / Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC) Spain (ES) Russian Space Research Institute / Институт космических исследований Российской академии наук (IKI RAN) Russian Federation (RU) Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM) Mexico (MX) University of Birmingham United Kingdom (GB) Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica Brazil (BR) Brazilian Center for Physics Research / Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas (CBPF) Brazil (BR) East Tennessee State University United States (USA) (US) Ulugh Beg Astronomical Institute Uzbekistan (UZ) Universidad de Málaga / University of Malaga Spain (ES) Nanjing University China (CN) Northwestern University United States (USA) (US) Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences ISTP SB RAS Russian Federation (RU) Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT, PhysTech) / Московский Физико-Технический институт (Физтех) Russian Federation (RU) Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Science Russian Federation (RU) National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) United States (USA) (US) Petrozavodsk State University Russian Federation (RU) Austin Peay State University (APSU) / Universidad Estatal Austin Peay United States (USA) (US) University of California Santa Cruz United States (USA) (US) Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) United States (USA) (US) Benedictine College United States (USA) (US) The Swedish Institute of Space Physics Sweden (SE)

How to cite

APA:

Sánchez-Ramírez, R., Guedes Lang, R., Pozanenko, A., Martínez-Huerta, H., Hu, Y.D., Pandey, S.B.,... Castro-Tirado, A.J. (2024). Early photometric and spectroscopic observations of the extraordinarily bright INTEGRAL-detected GRB 221009A. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 692. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202449783

MLA:

Sánchez-Ramírez, R., et al. "Early photometric and spectroscopic observations of the extraordinarily bright INTEGRAL-detected GRB 221009A." Astronomy & Astrophysics 692 (2024).

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