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D. Q. Lamb (U. Chicago)
One third of all HETE-2--localized bursts are X-Ray Flashes (XRFs), a class of events first identified by Heise in which the fluence in 2-30 keV exceeds that in 30-400 keV. I present recent HETE-2 and other results on the properties of XRFs. These results show that the properties of XRFs, X-ray-rich gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), and GRBs form a continuum, and thus provide evidence that all three kinds of bursts are the same phenomenon. I show that XRFs provide unique insights into the structure of GRB jets structure, the rate of GRBs, and the nature of Type Ib/Ic core collapse supernovae. I discuss the ways in which the HETE-2 and Swift missions are complementary, and the synergies that exist between the two missions. I describe how a scientific partnership between HETE-2 and Swift can greatly advance our understanding of XRFs.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.