The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2023)
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
Affiliations
- Maia A. Williams
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University , 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Jamie A. Kennea
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University , 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- S. Dichiara
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University , 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Kohei Kobayashi
- Department of Physics, Nihon University , 1-8 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8308, Japan ; [email protected]
- Wataru B. Iwakiri
- ORCiD
- International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University , Chiba 263-8522, Japan
- Andrew P. Beardmore
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester , University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- P. A. Evans
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester , University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- Sebastian Heinz
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison , 475 N Charter St, Madison, WI 53726, USA
- Amy Lien
- ORCiD
- University of Tampa , Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physics, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606, USA
- S. R. Oates
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy, University of Birmingham , B15 2TT, UK
- Hitoshi Negoro
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Nihon University , 1-8 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8308, Japan ; [email protected]
- S. Bradley Cenko
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Joint Space-Science Institute, University of Maryland , College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Douglas J. K. Buisson
- ORCiD
- independent researcher
- Dieter H. Hartmann
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University , Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- Gaurava K. Jaisawal
- ORCiD
- DTU Space, Technical University of Denmark , Elektrovej 327-328, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark
- N. P. M. Kuin
- ORCiD
- UCL, Space and Climate Physics/MSSL , Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK
- Stephen Lesage
- ORCiD
- Department of Space Science, University of Alabama in Huntsville , 320 Sparkman Drive, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA; Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama in Huntsville , Huntsville, AL 35899, USA
- Kim L. Page
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester , University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- Tyler Parsotan
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Center for Space Science and Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County , 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology , NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Dheeraj R. Pasham
- ORCiD
- MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research , USA
- B. Sbarufatti
- ORCiD
- INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (LC), Italy
- Michael H. Siegel
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University , 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Satoshi Sugita
- Department of Physical Science, Aoyama Gakuin University , 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258, Japan
- George Younes
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Department of Physics, The George Washington University , 725 21st St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Elena Ambrosi
- ORCiD
- INAF—Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo , Via U. La Malfa 153, I-90146 Palermo, Italy
- Zaven Arzoumanian
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- M. G. Bernardini
- ORCiD
- INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (LC), Italy
- S. Campana
- ORCiD
- INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (LC), Italy
- Milvia Capalbi
- ORCiD
- INAF—Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo , Via U. La Malfa 153, I-90146 Palermo, Italy
- Regina Caputo
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Joint Space-Science Institute, University of Maryland , College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Antonino D’Aì
- ORCiD
- INAF—Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo , Via U. La Malfa 153, I-90146 Palermo, Italy
- P. D’Avanzo
- ORCiD
- INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (LC), Italy
- V. D’Elia
- ORCiD
- ASI—Italian Space Agency, Space Science Data Centre , Via del Politecnico snc, I-00133 Rome, Italy
- Massimiliano De Pasquale
- ORCiD
- Department of Mathematics, Informatics, Physics, Earth Sciences of University of Messina , Polo Papardo, Via F. D’Alcontres 31, I-98165 Messina, Italy
- R. A. J. Eyles-Ferris
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester , University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- Elizabeth Ferrara
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology , NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland , College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Keith C. Gendreau
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Jeffrey D. Gropp
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University , 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Nobuyuki Kawai
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Tokyo Institute of Technology , 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
- Noel Klingler
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Center for Space Science and Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County , 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology , NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Sibasish Laha
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Center for Space Science and Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County , 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology , NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- A. Melandri
- ORCiD
- INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monte Porzio Catone (RM), Italy
- Tatehiro Mihara
- ORCiD
- High energy astrophysics , RIKEN, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
- Michael Moss
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, The George Washington University , 725 21st St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Paul O’Brien
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester , University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- Julian P. Osborne
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester , University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- David M. Palmer
- ORCiD
- Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
- Matteo Perri
- ORCiD
- ASI—Italian Space Agency, Space Science Data Centre , Via del Politecnico snc, I-00133 Rome, Italy; INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monte Porzio Catone (RM), Italy
- Motoko Serino
- Department of Physical Science, Aoyama Gakuin University , 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258, Japan
- E. Sonbas
- ORCiD
- Adiyaman University , Department of Physics, 02040 Adiyaman, Turkey
- Michael Stamatikos
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, The Ohio State University , 191 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University , Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics, The Ohio State University , 191 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Rhaana Starling
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester , University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- G. Tagliaferri
- ORCiD
- INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera , Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (LC), Italy
- Aaron Tohuvavohu
- ORCiD
- David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto , 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S3H4, Canada
- Silvia Zane
- ORCiD
- Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London , Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT, UK
- Houri Ziaeepour
- ORCiD
- Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London , Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT, UK; Observatoire de Besançon, Université de Franche Compté , 41 bis ave. de l’Observatoire, BP 1615, F-25010 Besançon, France
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acbcd1
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 946,
no. 1
p. L24
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 10 ^4 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
