A Novel Method of Estimating GRB Peak Energies Beyond the \emph{Swift}/BAT Limit

Abstract

The \emph{Swift} Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), operating in the 15--150 keV energy band, struggles to detect the peak energy ($E_{\rm p}$) of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), as most GRBs have $E_{\rm p}$ values typically distributed between 200-300 keV, exceeding BAT's upper limit. To address this, we develop an innovative method to robustly estimate the lower limit of $E_{\rm p}$ for GRBs with $E_{\rm p}>150$ keV. This approach relies on the intrinsic curvature of GRB spectra, which is already evident within the BAT energy range for such GRBs. By fitting BAT spectra with a cutoff power-law model and extrapolating the spectral curvature beyond BAT's range, we, therefore, can estimate the cutoff energy ($E^{'}_{\rm c}$) beyond 150 keV and the corresponding peak energy ($E^{'}_{\rm p}$). We applied this method to 17 GRBs, categorizing them into two main groups. Group I (10 bursts) maintains $\alpha$ within a typical range (from $\sim$ -0.8 to $\sim$ -1.20) with increasing $E_{\rm c}$; Group II (2 bursts) maintains $E_{\rm c}$ within a typical range (300-500 keV) but with varying $\alpha$. Our results show that for $E_{\rm c}\lesssim $1000 keV, the estimated $E^{'}_{\rm c}$ aligns well with observed values. Moreover, the reliability of $E^{'}_{\rm c}$ also depends on $\alpha$: bursts with harder $\alpha$ (e.g., $\alpha \gtrsim -2/3$) show reduced accuracy, while bursts with softer $\alpha$ (e.g., $\alpha \lesssim -2/3$) yield more precise estimates. In conclusion, this method is well-suited for GRB spectra with moderately observed $E_{\rm c}$ ($E_{\rm p}$) values and $\alpha$ indices that are not too hard.