The effect of magnetic fields on γ-ray bursts inferred from multi- wavelength observations of the burst of 23 January 1999

T. J. Galama, M. S. Briggs, R. A.M.J. Wijers, P. M. Vreeswijk, E. Rol, D. Band, J. Van Paradijs, C. Kouveliotou, R. D. Preece, M. Bremer, I. A. Smith, R. P.J. Tilanus, A. G. De Bruyn, R. G. Strom, G. Pooley, A. J. Castro-Tirado, N. Tanvir, C. Robinson, K. Hurley, J. HeiseJ. Telting, R. G.M. Rutten, C. Packham, R. Swaters, J. K. Davies, A. Fassia, S. F. Green, M. J. Foster, R. Sagar, A. K. Pandey, Nilakshi, R. K.S. Yadav, E. O. Ofek, E. Leibowitz, P. Ibbetson, J. Rhoads, E. Falco, C. Petry, C. Impey, T. R. Geballe, D. Bhattacharya

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

117 Scopus citations

Abstract

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are thought to arise when an extremely relativistic outflow of particles from a massive explosion (the nature of which is still unclear) interacts with material surrounding the site of the explosion. Observations of the evolving changes in emission at many wavelengths allow us to investigate the origin of the photons, and so potentially determine the nature of the explosion. Here we report the results of γ-ray, optical, infrared, submillimetre, millimetre and radio observations of the burst GRB990123 and its afterglow. Our interpretation of the data indicates that the initial and afterglow emissions are associated with three distinct regions in the fireball. The peak flux of the afterglow, one day after the burst, has a lower frequency than observed for other bursts; this explains the short-lived radio emission. We suggest that the differences between bursts reflect variations in the magnetic-field strength in the afterglow-emitting regions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)394-399
Number of pages6
JournalNature
Volume398
Issue number6726
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 1999
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The effect of magnetic fields on γ-ray bursts inferred from multi- wavelength observations of the burst of 23 January 1999'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this