2014/05/31 by Zhe Chang, Hai-Nan Lin
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Classical mechanics #Compton scattering #Electron #Gamma-ray burst #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Jet (fluid) #Lorentz factor #Lorentz transformation #Magnetic field #Nuclear physics #Optics #Outflow #Photon #Physics #Polarization (electrochemistry) #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Quantum mechanics #Scattering #Synchrotron #astro-ph.HE
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/mnras/stu2051
published as MNRAS 445 (2014) 4105 · 7 pages, 2 figures
openalex publication_date 2014/11/03 · arxiv created 2014/11/06 · arxiv updated 2014/11/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The polarimetric measurement on the prompt phase of GRB 100826A shows that the polarization angle changes ∼90° between two adjacent time intervals. We will show that this phenomenon can be naturally interpreted in the framework of the magnetic-dominated jet (MDJ) model. The MDJ model suggests that the bulk Lorentz factor of the outflow increases as Γ ∝ r1/3, until reaching a saturated value Γsat. Electrons move in the globally ordered magnetic field advected by the jet from the central engine and produce synchrotron photons. The polarized synchrotron photons travel alone the jet direction and then collide with the cold electrons at the front of the jet. After the Compton scattering process, these photons escape from the jet and are detected by the observer locating slightly off-axis. If photons are emitted before the bulk Lorentz factor saturates, the change of polarization angle is a natural result of the acceleration of the outflow.