X-ray spectrum of the afterglow of GRB011211
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Credit: ESA/XMM-Newton, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
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| About this Image |
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The gamma-ray burst GRB011211 was first detected on 11 December 2001 at 19:09:21 UT, by the Beppo-SAX satellite; the burst duration was 270 s (making GRB011211 the longest burst observed by Beppo-SAX), with a peak flux (40-700 keV) of 5 10-8 erg cm-2 s-1. Spectroscopy of the optical afterglow revealed several absorption lines at a redshift of z = 2.141+-0.001, and R-band imaging has linked the optical transient with extended emission - the probable host galaxy - of magnitude mv = 25.0+-0.5. Assuming the absorption system arises from the GRB host galaxy, and adopting a cosmology of H0 = 75 km s-1 Mpc-1 and q0 = 0.1, implies a total equivalent isotropic energy for GRB011211 of 5 1052 erg. The observations of GRB011211 by the orbiting XMM-Newton X-ray telescope started at 06:16:56 UT on 12 December 2001, 11 hours after the initial burst. Data from the European Photon Imaging Cameras (EPIC) have been analysed, using both the MOS and pn instruments; the total observation duration is 27 ks. The time-averaged 0.2–10 keV flux, F, was 1.9 10-13 erg cm-2 s-1, decreasing with time t during the observation as F(t) proportional to t-(1.7+-0.2). The Optical Monitor detected the burst afterglow in both the visible and ultraviolet (UVW1) bands, with magnitudes of 21.12+-0.13 and 21.6+-0.3, respectively. The image shows the XMM-Newton EPIC-pn spectrum of the GRB011211 afterglow, for the first 5 ks of exposure only. The observations strongly favour models where a supernova explosion from a massive stellar progenitor precedes the burst event and is responsible for the outflowing matter.
Investigator(s): J. N. Reeves
| For More Information |
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- Read the Press Release
- Read the Journal article
- Visit related website;
http://xmm.esac.esa.int/external/xmm_news/items/grb011211/index.shtml - Detailed description of this image
- Query XSA archive for XMM-Newton data in the field of GRB011211
- Astronomical database entries for GRB011211;
- Query NED for more images about GRB011211
- Query SIMBAD for more GRB011211 data
- For unfamiliar terms, visit the XMM-Newton Astronomical Glossary
| Instrument | EPIC pn | ||
| Observing Mode | Full Frame | ||
| Filter | Thin | ||
| Date of Observation | 2001-12-12 | ||
| Image size | 30.00 x 30.00 arcmin | ||
| Detailed Caption | Top panel, the observed count rate spectrum; bottom, the residuals of the thermal model compared with the data points, in units of 1 deviations. The energy plotted on the abscissa is in the observer frame. Emission lines are detected at energies (keV) of 0.45+-0.03, 0.70+-0.02, 0.89+-0.01, 1.21+-0.02 and 1.44+-0.04 in the observed spectrum, whilst the measured line fluxes (erg cm-2 s-1) are (7.6+-5.1)10-15, (1.1+-0.3)10-14, (9.9+-2.9)10-15, (6.7+-2.5)10-15 and (4.4+-2.2)10-15, respectively. These correspond to energies (keV) of 1.40+-0.05, 2.19+-0.04, 2.81+-0.04, 3.79+-0.07 and 4.51+-0.12 in the burst rest frame (at z = 2.14), with rest-frame equivalent widths (eV) of 180+-120, 430+-130, 480+-140, 460+-170 and 360+-180, respectively (all errors are quoted at 1 confidence). Note that an iron K line is not detected; the upper limit on the rest-frame equivalent width is < 400 eV. For reference, the resolution (full-width at half-maximum) of the EPIC-pn spectrum is 100 eV at 1 keV. The emission lines can be identified with the K transitions of Mg XI (or Mg XII), Si XIV, S XVI, Ar XVIII, and Ca XX. The observed energies are blue-shifted by a factor corresponding to a velocity of v = 0.086c (or 25,800 km s-1), when compared to the redshift of the gamma-ray burst (at z = 2.14). For clarity, only the EPIC-pn data are shown; consistent results are obtained for the EPIC-MOS camera, although the signal-to noise ratio of the MOS data is lower. | ||
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