Distinct Thermal Emission from GRB 190109A

Abstract

Abstract The gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with distinct thermal components are rarely detected, especially in cases with thermal components throughout the prompt phase. Recently, Fermi/GBM, Swift/BAT, and Swift/XRT detected the special long-duration GRB 190109A, which has four pulses in the prompt gamma-ray emission, i.e, Pulse I (−4 to 20 s), Pulse II (20–50 s), Pulse III (50–90 s), and Pulse IV (90–120 s). GRB 190109A exhibits a very hard low-energy index (α ∼ 1) in the Band function relative to the typical GRBs (α ∼ − 1). In the whole burst prompt emission, we find distinct thermal emissions in the time-resolved spectra throughout four pulses. The blackbody (BB) temperature kT varies from 24.7 to 8.2 keV for Pulse I to Pulse IV. We also obtain the relation of F ∝ kT −0.40 for the early phase (Pulse I) and F ∝ kT 3.33±0.76 for the late phase (Pulses II–IV), respectively. The significant deviation of the kT − F relation in the early epochs from that in the late epochs likely suggests that the BB spectra origin of the early phase (Pulse I) may have disparate physical processes from those of the late phase (Pulses II–IV). For instance, it may be the transition from cocoon surroundings by a jet to the photosphere of the matter-dominated jet. A jet break is found in the late X-ray afterglow, which is in keeping with the standard external shock afterglow model in the interstellar medium circumburst.