Variable polarization in the optical afterglow of GRB 021004

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dc.creatorRol, E.
dc.creatorWijers, R. A. M. J.
dc.creatorFynbo, J. P. U.
dc.creatorHjorth, J.
dc.creatorGorosabel, J.
dc.creatorEgholm, M. P.
dc.creatorCerón, J. M. Castro
dc.creatorCastro-Tirado, A. J.
dc.creatorKaper, L.
dc.creatorMasetti, N.
dc.creatorPalazzi, E.
dc.creatorPian, E.
dc.creatorTanvir, N.
dc.creatorVreeswijk, P.
dc.creatorKouveliotou, C.
dc.creatorMoller, P.
dc.creatorPedersen, H.
dc.creatorFruchter, A. S.
dc.creatorRhoads, J.
dc.creatorBurud, I.
dc.creatorSalamanca, I.
dc.creatorHeuvel, E. P. J. Van den
dc.date2003-05-13
dc.date2003-07-01
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T12:00:54Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T12:00:54Z
dc.descriptionWe present polarimetric observations of the afterglow of gamma-ray burst (GRB) 021004, obtained with the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) between 8 and 17 hours after the burst. Comparison among the observations shows a 45 degree change in the position angle from 9 hours after the burst to 16 hours after the burst, and comparison with published data from later epochs even shows a 90 degree change between 9 and 89 hours after the burst. The degree of linear polarization shows a marginal change, but is also consistent with being constant in time. In the context of currently available models for changes in the polarization of GRBs, a homogeneous jet with an early break time of t_b ~ 1 day provides a good explanation of our data. The break time is a factor 2 to 6 earlier than has been found from the analysis of the optical light curve. The change in the position angle of the polarization rules out a structured jet model for the GRB.
dc.description5 pages, 2 figures. Published in A&A letters
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0305227
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0305227
dc.identifierAstron.Astrophys.405:L23-L28,2003
dc.identifierdoi:10.1051/0004-6361:20030731
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/206938
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleVariable polarization in the optical afterglow of GRB 021004
dc.typetext

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