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S.-S. Xue, R. Ruffini, F. Fraschetti, L. Vitagliano (ICRA, U. Romo, Italy)
We present theoretical predictions for the spectral, temporal and intensity signatures of the electromagnetic radiation emitted during the process of the gravitational collapse of a stellar core to a black hole, during which electromagnetic field strengths rise over the critical value for e+e- pair creation. The last phases of this gravitational collapse are studied, leading to the formation of a black hole with a subcritical electromagnetic field, likely with zero charge, and an outgoing pulse of initially optically thick e+e--photon plasma. Such a pulse reaches transparency at Lorentz gamma factors of 102--104. We find a clear signature in the outgoing electromagnetic signal, drifting from a soft to a hard spectrum, on very precise time-scales and with a very specific intensity modulation. The relevance of these theoretical results for the understanding of short gamma-ray bursts is shown
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #4
© 2005. The American Astronomical Soceity.