2026ApJ...997L..17W -
Astrophys. J., 997, L17 (2026/January-3)
Spectral Shapes of Pair Annihilation Line Emission in Magnetar Giant Flares.
WADA T. and KIMURA S.S.
Abstract (from CDS):
We investigate the gamma-ray spectrum in the MeV range arising from electron-positron pair annihilation in fireballs associated with magnetar giant flares (MGFs), motivated by the recent observation of a MeV gamma-ray line feature in a bright gamma-ray burst, GRB 221009A. We develop an analytic model of line emission, demonstrating that relativistic beaming results in a broadened power-law spectral feature with a photon index of -1. We then perform Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations incorporating electron-positron pair production, annihilation, and Compton scattering. The dependence of the emergent spectrum on the baryon loading is also examined, showing that a baryon-poor fireball is more favorable for the detection of MeV gamma rays. We further assess the detectability of the line component. The simulation results indicate that a power-law MeV component from the initial spike of a Galactic MGF could be observed with current instruments, such as Fermi/GBM, and will be well within the reach of upcoming MeV gamma-ray satellites, which are expected to detect ${ \mathcal O }(100)$ photons from such events.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
Journal keyword(s):
Neutron stars - Magnetars - Gamma-ray transient sources - High energy astrophysics
Simbad objects:
5
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