Award Date

1-1-2007

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Physics

First Committee Member

Bing Zhang

Number of Pages

53

Abstract

Gamma-ray bursts are cosmological explosions that result in a massive release of radiation ranging from high-energy-gamma rays and x-rays as well as possible long lasting optical and radio tails. Bursts are a result of processes occurring in old stars and their by-products, namely black holes and neutron stars. Gamma-ray bursts tied to the deaths of stars are known as long gamma-ray bursts and are the subject of this study. Data from various missions including NASAs Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and Swift Gamma-ray Mission (Swift) shows that typical GRBs lie within a luminosity range of roughly 1049 to 1054 ergs s-1 with the small exception of a few bursts (2) lying at low luminosities around 1046-1047 ergs s -1 and extremely low redshift (z=0.0085, 0.0331). These bursts lie at the very fringe of what is currently observable. This begs the question: Do these low luminosity bursts signify an exception to the usually higher luminosity of regular or normal bursts or are they a completely separate population? Using the Monte Carlo method the proposed work will test the assumed luminosity function and redshift distributions of long gamma-ray bursts using various criteria and attempt to reliably recreate observation. Those criteria include constraining the 1-D luminosity and redshift distribution, the 2-D luminosity-redshift distribution, logN(> P) - logP, and an analysis of the relative number of low-luminosity to high-luminosity bursts.

Keywords

Analysis; Bursts; Carlo; Function; Gamma; Luminosity; Monte; Ray

Controlled Subject

Astronomy

File Format

pdf

File Size

1525.76 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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