Unthermalized positrons in gamma ray burst sources

Abstract

The spectra of the broadening 0.511 MeV annihilation line produced by high temperatures was calculated in the case of unthermalized plasma; i.e., T sub e(+) is not = T sub e(-). The flattening in the spectrum of the annihilation lines for large differences of electron and positron temperatures is a strong indication that the observed features of the hard tailed spectrum of the gamma bursts can be well described by annihilation of unthermalized positrons. It is proposed that the charge separation occurring in Eddington limited accretion onto a neutron star or the one photon pair production in strong magnetic fields as a mechanism for the production of unthermalized positrons in the sources of gamma bursts. From the best fit of experimental spectra by the model, the parameters of sources for which the regions with different plasma temperatures can exist is evaluated.