GRB 100816A and the nature of intermediate duration gamma-ray bursts

Gamma-ray bursts are normally split into two classes, primarily determined by their observed duration, so called long (> 2s) and short (< 2s) GRBs. There have been many claims of a third duration class, with emission lasting for intermediate periods between 2 - 5s, although the reality of this...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union 2011-04, Vol.7 (S279), p.415-416
Main Authors: Tunnicliffe, Rachel L., Levan, Andrew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomical research
Astronomy
Gamma rays
Poster Papers
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Summary:Gamma-ray bursts are normally split into two classes, primarily determined by their observed duration, so called long (> 2s) and short (< 2s) GRBs. There have been many claims of a third duration class, with emission lasting for intermediate periods between 2 - 5s, although the reality of this class remains controversial. Here, we investigate this further utilising the 2.9s duration, spectrally hard GRB 100816A. This burst lies well offset from its host galaxy, has no evidence for an associated supernova (albeit to only moderately constraining limits), and has properties which appear to be genuinely intermediate between long- and short- population bursts. We extend this analysis by comparing the physical locations of a population of intermediate duration GRBs with those of short-GRBs and long-GRBs, concluding that the intermediate sample is indistinguishable from the long-GRB population, whose locations are very different from other transients.
ISSN:1743-9213
1743-9221
DOI:10.1017/S1743921312013610