On the Prompt Signals of Gamma Ray Bursts

Abstract

We introduce a new model of gamma ray burst (GRB) that explains its observed prompt signals, namely, its primary quasi-thermal spectrum and high energy tail. This mechanism can be applied to either assumption of GRB progenitor: coalescence of compact objects or hypernova explosion. The key ingredients of our model are: (1) The initial stage of a GRB is in the form of a relativistic quark-gluon plasma "lava"; (2) The expansion and cooling of this lava results in a QCD phase transition that induces a sudden gravitational stoppage of the condensed non-relativistic baryons and form a hadrosphere; (3) Acoustic shocks and Alfven waves (magnetoquakes) that erupt in episodes from the epicenter efficiently transport the thermal energy to the hadrospheric surface and induce a rapid detachment of leptons and photons from the hadrons; (4) The detached $e^+e^-$ and $\gamma$ form an opaque, relativistically hot leptosphere, which expands and cools to $T \sim mc^2$, or 0.5 MeV, where $e^+e^- \to 2\gamma$ and its reverse process becomes unbalanced, and the GRB photons are finally released; (5) The "mode-conversion" of Alfven waves into electromagnetic waves in the leptosphere provides a "snowplow" acceleration and deceleration that gives rise to both the high energy spectrum of GRB and the erosion of its thermal spectrum down to a quasi-thermal distribution. According to this model, the observed GRB photons should have a redshifted peak frequency at $E_p \sim \Gamma(1 + \beta/2)mc^2/(1 + z),$ where $\Gamma\sim {\cal{O}}(1)$ is the Lorentz factor of the bulk flow of the lava, which may be determined from the existing GRB data.