GRB 221009A: Discovery of an Exceptionally Rare Nearby and Energetic Gamma-Ray Burst

Maia A. Williams; Jamie A. Kennea; S. Dichiara; Kohei Kobayashi; Wataru B. Iwakiri; Andrew P. Beardmore; P. A. Evans; Sebastian Heinz; Amy Lien; S. R. Oates; Hitoshi Negoro; S. Bradley Cenko; Douglas J. K. Buisson; Dieter H. Hartmann; Gaurava K. Jaisawal; N. P. M. Kuin; Stephen Lesage; Kim L. Page; Tyler Parsotan; Dheeraj R. Pasham; B. Sbarufatti; Michael H. Siegel; Satoshi Sugita; George Younes; Elena Ambrosi; Zaven Arzoumanian; M. G. Bernardini; S. Campana; Milvia Capalbi; Regina Caputo; Antonino D’Aì; P. D’Avanzo; V. D’Elia; Massimiliano De Pasquale; R. A. J. Eyles-Ferris; Elizabeth Ferrara; Keith C. Gendreau; Jeffrey D. Gropp; Nobuyuki Kawai; Noel Klingler; Sibasish Laha; A. Melandri; Tatehiro Mihara; Michael Moss; Paul O’Brien; Julian P. Osborne; David M. Palmer; Matteo Perri; Motoko Serino; E. Sonbas; Michael Stamatikos; Rhaana Starling; G. Tagliaferri; Aaron Tohuvavohu; Silvia Zane; Houri Ziaeepour

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/acbcd1

GRB 221009A: Discovery of an Exceptionally Rare Nearby and Energetic Gamma-Ray Burst

Maia A. Williams, Jamie A. Kennea, S. Dichiara, Kohei Kobayashi^*, Wataru B. Iwakiri, Andrew P. Beardmore, P. A. Evans, Sebastian Heinz, Amy Lien, S. R. Oates, Hitoshi Negoro, S. Bradley Cenko, Douglas J. K. Buisson, Dieter H. Hartmann, Gaurava K. Jaisawal, N. P. M. Kuin, Stephen Lesage, Kim L. Page, Tyler Parsotan, Dheeraj R. PashamB. Sbarufatti, Michael H. Siegel, Satoshi Sugita, George Younes, Elena Ambrosi, Zaven Arzoumanian, M. G. Bernardini, S. Campana, Milvia Capalbi, Regina Caputo, Antonino D’Aì, P. D’Avanzo, V. D’Elia, Massimiliano De Pasquale, R. A. J. Eyles-Ferris, Elizabeth Ferrara, Keith C. Gendreau, Jeffrey D. Gropp, Nobuyuki Kawai, Noel Klingler, Sibasish Laha, A. Melandri, Tatehiro Mihara, Michael Moss, Paul O’Brien, Julian P. Osborne, David M. Palmer, Matteo Perri, Motoko Serino, E. Sonbas, Michael Stamatikos, Rhaana Starling, G. Tagliaferri, Aaron Tohuvavohu, Silvia Zane, Houri Ziaeepour

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

We report the discovery of the unusually bright long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB), GRB 221009A, as observed by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, and Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer Mission. This energetic GRB was located relatively nearby (z = 0.151), allowing for sustained observations of the afterglow. The large X-ray luminosity and low Galactic latitude (b = 4.°3) make GRB 221009A a powerful probe of dust in the Milky Way. Using echo tomography, we map the line-of-sight dust distribution and find evidence for significant column densities at large distances (≳10 kpc). We present analysis of the light curves and spectra at X-ray and UV–optical wavelengths, and find that the X-ray afterglow of GRB 221009A is more than an order of magnitude brighter at T 0 + 4.5 ks than that from any previous GRB observed by Swift. In its rest frame, GRB 221009A is at the high end of the afterglow luminosity distribution, but not uniquely so. In a simulation of randomly generated bursts, only 1 in 104 long GRBs were as energetic as GRB 221009A; such a large E γ,iso implies a narrow jet structure, but the afterglow light curve is inconsistent with simple top-hat jet models. Using the sample of Swift GRBs with redshifts, we estimate that GRBs as energetic and nearby as GRB 221009A occur at a rate of ≲1 per 1000 yr—making this a truly remarkable opportunity unlikely to be repeated in our lifetime.

Original language	English
Article number	L24
Journal	The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Volume	946
Issue number	1
Number of pages	24
ISSN	2041-8205
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acbcd1
Publication status	Published - 2023

Keywords

Gamma-ray bursts

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Williams, M. A., Kennea, J. A., Dichiara, S., Kobayashi, K., Iwakiri, W. B., Beardmore, A. P., Evans, P. A., Heinz, S., Lien, A., Oates, S. R., Negoro, H., Cenko, S. B., Buisson, D. J. K., Hartmann, D. H., Jaisawal, G. K., Kuin, N. P. M., Lesage, S., Page, K. L., Parsotan, T., ... Ziaeepour, H. (2023). GRB 221009A: Discovery of an Exceptionally Rare Nearby and Energetic Gamma-Ray Burst. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 946(1), Article L24. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acbcd1

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title = "GRB 221009A: Discovery of an Exceptionally Rare Nearby and Energetic Gamma-Ray Burst",

abstract = "We report the discovery of the unusually bright long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB), GRB 221009A, as observed by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, and Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer Mission. This energetic GRB was located relatively nearby (z = 0.151), allowing for sustained observations of the afterglow. The large X-ray luminosity and low Galactic latitude (b = 4.°3) make GRB 221009A a powerful probe of dust in the Milky Way. Using echo tomography, we map the line-of-sight dust distribution and find evidence for significant column densities at large distances (≳10 kpc). We present analysis of the light curves and spectra at X-ray and UV–optical wavelengths, and find that the X-ray afterglow of GRB 221009A is more than an order of magnitude brighter at T 0 + 4.5 ks than that from any previous GRB observed by Swift. In its rest frame, GRB 221009A is at the high end of the afterglow luminosity distribution, but not uniquely so. In a simulation of randomly generated bursts, only 1 in 104 long GRBs were as energetic as GRB 221009A; such a large E γ,iso implies a narrow jet structure, but the afterglow light curve is inconsistent with simple top-hat jet models. Using the sample of Swift GRBs with redshifts, we estimate that GRBs as energetic and nearby as GRB 221009A occur at a rate of ≲1 per 1000 yr—making this a truly remarkable opportunity unlikely to be repeated in our lifetime.",

keywords = "Gamma-ray bursts",

author = "Williams, {Maia A.} and Kennea, {Jamie A.} and S. Dichiara and Kohei Kobayashi and Iwakiri, {Wataru B.} and Beardmore, {Andrew P.} and Evans, {P. A.} and Sebastian Heinz and Amy Lien and Oates, {S. R.} and Hitoshi Negoro and Cenko, {S. Bradley} and Buisson, {Douglas J. K.} and Hartmann, {Dieter H.} and Jaisawal, {Gaurava K.} and Kuin, {N. P. M.} and Stephen Lesage and Page, {Kim L.} and Tyler Parsotan and Pasham, {Dheeraj R.} and B. Sbarufatti and Siegel, {Michael H.} and Satoshi Sugita and George Younes and Elena Ambrosi and Zaven Arzoumanian and Bernardini, {M. G.} and S. Campana and Milvia Capalbi and Regina Caputo and Antonino D{\textquoteright}A{\`i} and P. D{\textquoteright}Avanzo and V. D{\textquoteright}Elia and Pasquale, {Massimiliano De} and Eyles-Ferris, {R. A. J.} and Elizabeth Ferrara and Gendreau, {Keith C.} and Gropp, {Jeffrey D.} and Nobuyuki Kawai and Noel Klingler and Sibasish Laha and A. Melandri and Tatehiro Mihara and Michael Moss and Paul O{\textquoteright}Brien and Osborne, {Julian P.} and Palmer, {David M.} and Matteo Perri and Motoko Serino and E. Sonbas and Michael Stamatikos and Rhaana Starling and G. Tagliaferri and Aaron Tohuvavohu and Silvia Zane and Houri Ziaeepour",

year = "2023",

doi = "10.3847/2041-8213/acbcd1",

language = "English",

volume = "946",

journal = "The Astrophysical Journal Letters",

issn = "2041-8205",

publisher = "IOP Publishing",

number = "1",

}

Williams, MA, Kennea, JA, Dichiara, S, Kobayashi, K, Iwakiri, WB, Beardmore, AP, Evans, PA, Heinz, S, Lien, A, Oates, SR, Negoro, H, Cenko, SB, Buisson, DJK, Hartmann, DH, Jaisawal, GK, Kuin, NPM, Lesage, S, Page, KL, Parsotan, T, Pasham, DR, Sbarufatti, B, Siegel, MH, Sugita, S, Younes, G, Ambrosi, E, Arzoumanian, Z, Bernardini, MG, Campana, S, Capalbi, M, Caputo, R, D’Aì, A, D’Avanzo, P, D’Elia, V, Pasquale, MD, Eyles-Ferris, RAJ, Ferrara, E, Gendreau, KC, Gropp, JD, Kawai, N, Klingler, N, Laha, S, Melandri, A, Mihara, T, Moss, M, O’Brien, P, Osborne, JP, Palmer, DM, Perri, M, Serino, M, Sonbas, E, Stamatikos, M, Starling, R, Tagliaferri, G, Tohuvavohu, A, Zane, S & Ziaeepour, H 2023, 'GRB 221009A: Discovery of an Exceptionally Rare Nearby and Energetic Gamma-Ray Burst', The Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol. 946, no. 1, L24. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acbcd1

TY - JOUR

T1 - GRB 221009A: Discovery of an Exceptionally Rare Nearby and Energetic Gamma-Ray Burst

AU - Williams, Maia A.

AU - Kennea, Jamie A.

AU - Dichiara, S.

AU - Kobayashi, Kohei

AU - Iwakiri, Wataru B.

AU - Beardmore, Andrew P.

AU - Evans, P. A.

AU - Heinz, Sebastian

AU - Lien, Amy

AU - Oates, S. R.

AU - Negoro, Hitoshi

AU - Cenko, S. Bradley

AU - Buisson, Douglas J. K.

AU - Hartmann, Dieter H.

AU - Jaisawal, Gaurava K.

AU - Kuin, N. P. M.

AU - Lesage, Stephen

AU - Page, Kim L.

AU - Parsotan, Tyler

AU - Pasham, Dheeraj R.

AU - Sbarufatti, B.

AU - Siegel, Michael H.

AU - Sugita, Satoshi

AU - Younes, George

AU - Ambrosi, Elena

AU - Arzoumanian, Zaven

AU - Bernardini, M. G.

AU - Campana, S.

AU - Capalbi, Milvia

AU - Caputo, Regina

AU - D’Aì, Antonino

AU - D’Avanzo, P.

AU - D’Elia, V.

AU - Pasquale, Massimiliano De

AU - Eyles-Ferris, R. A. J.

AU - Ferrara, Elizabeth

AU - Gendreau, Keith C.

AU - Gropp, Jeffrey D.

AU - Kawai, Nobuyuki

AU - Klingler, Noel

AU - Laha, Sibasish

AU - Melandri, A.

AU - Mihara, Tatehiro

AU - Moss, Michael

AU - O’Brien, Paul

AU - Osborne, Julian P.

AU - Palmer, David M.

AU - Perri, Matteo

AU - Serino, Motoko

AU - Sonbas, E.

AU - Stamatikos, Michael

AU - Starling, Rhaana

AU - Tagliaferri, G.

AU - Tohuvavohu, Aaron

AU - Zane, Silvia

AU - Ziaeepour, Houri

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - We report the discovery of the unusually bright long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB), GRB 221009A, as observed by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, and Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer Mission. This energetic GRB was located relatively nearby (z = 0.151), allowing for sustained observations of the afterglow. The large X-ray luminosity and low Galactic latitude (b = 4.°3) make GRB 221009A a powerful probe of dust in the Milky Way. Using echo tomography, we map the line-of-sight dust distribution and find evidence for significant column densities at large distances (≳10 kpc). We present analysis of the light curves and spectra at X-ray and UV–optical wavelengths, and find that the X-ray afterglow of GRB 221009A is more than an order of magnitude brighter at T 0 + 4.5 ks than that from any previous GRB observed by Swift. In its rest frame, GRB 221009A is at the high end of the afterglow luminosity distribution, but not uniquely so. In a simulation of randomly generated bursts, only 1 in 104 long GRBs were as energetic as GRB 221009A; such a large E γ,iso implies a narrow jet structure, but the afterglow light curve is inconsistent with simple top-hat jet models. Using the sample of Swift GRBs with redshifts, we estimate that GRBs as energetic and nearby as GRB 221009A occur at a rate of ≲1 per 1000 yr—making this a truly remarkable opportunity unlikely to be repeated in our lifetime.

AB - We report the discovery of the unusually bright long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB), GRB 221009A, as observed by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, and Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer Mission. This energetic GRB was located relatively nearby (z = 0.151), allowing for sustained observations of the afterglow. The large X-ray luminosity and low Galactic latitude (b = 4.°3) make GRB 221009A a powerful probe of dust in the Milky Way. Using echo tomography, we map the line-of-sight dust distribution and find evidence for significant column densities at large distances (≳10 kpc). We present analysis of the light curves and spectra at X-ray and UV–optical wavelengths, and find that the X-ray afterglow of GRB 221009A is more than an order of magnitude brighter at T 0 + 4.5 ks than that from any previous GRB observed by Swift. In its rest frame, GRB 221009A is at the high end of the afterglow luminosity distribution, but not uniquely so. In a simulation of randomly generated bursts, only 1 in 104 long GRBs were as energetic as GRB 221009A; such a large E γ,iso implies a narrow jet structure, but the afterglow light curve is inconsistent with simple top-hat jet models. Using the sample of Swift GRBs with redshifts, we estimate that GRBs as energetic and nearby as GRB 221009A occur at a rate of ≲1 per 1000 yr—making this a truly remarkable opportunity unlikely to be repeated in our lifetime.

KW - Gamma-ray bursts

U2 - 10.3847/2041-8213/acbcd1

DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/acbcd1

M3 - Journal article

SN - 2041-8205

VL - 946

JO - The Astrophysical Journal Letters

JF - The Astrophysical Journal Letters

IS - 1

M1 - L24

ER -

GRB 221009A: Discovery of an Exceptionally Rare Nearby and Energetic Gamma-Ray Burst

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