Engineering topics

Band, David

Publications and source records attributed to Band, David.

4 records

NASA NTRS2008

The Synergy of Gamma-Ray Burst Detectors in the GLAST Era

Simultaneous observations by the large number of gamma-ray burst detectors that will operate in the GLAST era will provide the spectra, lightcurves and locations necessary for studying burst physics and testing the putative relations between intrinsic burst properties. I review the burst detection sensitivities, spectral bands, and localization capabilities of the GLAST (GBM and LAT), Swift (BAT), INTEGRAL (ISGRI), Suzaku (wAM), AGILE (Super-AGILE) and wind (Konus) detectors; the detectors' energy band and the accumulation timescale of their trigger system affect their sensitivity to hard vs. soft and long vs. short bursts. In addition, I estimate the rate of simultaneous burst observations. In particular, coordination of the Swift observing plan consistent with Swift's other science objectives could increase the rate of GLAST bursts with redshifts

Band, David↗

NASA NTRS1998

Ginga Gamma-Ray Burst Line Occurrence

The purpose of this project is the statistical evaluation of the occurrence of spectral lines in the gamma-ray burst spectra detected by the Ginga burst detector, and the comparison of the Ginga results to the BATSE observations. Two significant line features were detected in the Ginga bursts, but thus far none have been detected in the bursts BATSE detected. These line features may indicate the presence of strong magnetic fields in bursts, and therefore are important physical diagnostics of the conditions in the plasma which radiates the observed gamma-rays. The issue is whether there is a discrepancy between the Ginga and BATSE results; the potential discrepancy must be evaluated statistically. Even if BATSE line detections are announced, the statistical methodology we have developed can be used to estimate the rate at which different types of spectral features occur.

Band, David↗

NASA NTRS1994

BATSE observations of the very intense gamma-ray burst GRB 930131

Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) observed its most intense gamma-ray burst on 1993 January 31. The event reached count rates is approximately greater than 2 x 10(exp 6) counts/s with most of the flux emitted in an extremely short (is approximately less than 0.1 s) interval followed by a long tail, lasting about 50 s. Most of this initial pulse was recorded by our instrument with unique, very high temporal resolution (1 ms). We were thus able to show large changes in spectral hardness on 2 ms timescales throughout this initial complex. Photons as low as 25 keV and extending up to greater than 4 MeV in energy were recorded by BATSE during this first interval. The burst spectrum is best fitted by a broken power law with a break energy of 170 +/- 27 keV. The low-energy spectral index is -1.30 +/- 0.05, while a softer spectral index of -1.9 fits the spectrum between 170 keV and 2 MeV. Our data provide the only low-energy spectrum for this event; the combination of our spectrum with the one reported for GRB 930131 by the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) group extends the total energy spectrum of a GRB for the first time over five decades, up to the GeV range.

Kouveliotou, Chryssa↗

NASA NTRS1992

On the use of V/V(max) for gamma-ray bursts

As applied to the BATSE observations, the V/V(max) test has shown definitively that gamma-ray bursts are not distributed homogeneously. It is shown that variations in the detection threshold smooth the distribution of V/V(max) values, and consequently this distribution should not be used to determine the nature of the source inhomogeneity. Models fitted to the V/V(max) distribution assuming a constant detection threshold are quantitatively incorrect; the true source density has a more extreme radial decrease than previously found. Models should be fitted to the observed distribution of peak burst photon fluxes corrected for detection incompleteness.

Band, David↗