GRB 011211: An alternative interpretation of the optical and X-ray spectra in terms of blueshifts

Abstract

The redshift of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) GRB 011211 has been determined as 2.14 from several absorption lines seen in the spectrum of its optical afterglow. The spectrum of its X-ray afterglow exhibited several emission lines, and their identification led to a mean redshift 1.862. A supernova model has been proposed based on the redshift of the GRB as 2.141. It is shown here that the redshift interpretation cannot explain the observed spectra, as some serious inconsistencies exist in the process of redshift determinations in spectra of both optical and X-ray afterglows. In view of that, an alternative interpretation of the spectra is presented in terms of blueshifts. An ejection mechanism is proposed as a possible scenario to explain the blueshifted spectrum.