The short GRB 170817A: Modelling the off-axis emission and implications on the ejecta magnetization

The short GRB 170817A, detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor, orbiting satellites and ground-based telescopes, was the electromagnetic counterpart of a gravitational-wave transient (GW170817) from a binary neutron star merger. After this merger the $γ$-ray light curve exhibited a faint peak at $\sim$ 1.7s and the X-ray, optical and radio light curves displayed an extended emission which increased in brightness up to $\sim$ 160 days. In this paper, we show that the X-ray, optical and radio fluxes are consistent with the synchrotron forward-shock model viewed off-axis when the matter in the outflow is parametrized through a power law velocity distribution. We discuss the origin of the $γ$-ray peak in terms of internal and external shocks. We show that the $γ$-ray flux might be consistent with a synchrotron self-Compton reverse-shock model observed at high latitudes. Comparing the best-fit values obtained after describing the $γ$-ray, X-ray, optical and radio fluxes with our model, we find that the afterglow and $γ$-ray emission occurred in different regions and also evidence to propose that the progenitor environment was entrained with magnetic fields and therefore, we argue for the presence of the magnetic field amplification in the binary neutron star merger.

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