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The Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) Gamma-ray burst experiment detected 318 gamma-ray bursts over about 14 years between 1978 and 1992 with near $4\pi$ coverage. This data set complements BATSE by determining the properties of the brightest gamma-ray bursts. PVO places a constrains on the slope of the bright end of the Log N-Log P distribution. The slope is -1.52$\pm 0.15$., Comment: Drafted in 1993, includes tables of the burst characteristics

The March 5th, 1979 gamma-ray transient has long been thought to be fundamentally different from the classic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). It had recurrences, pulsations, and a soft spectral component unlike classic GRBs. With the exception of the soft component reported from the Konus experiment, the unusual characteristics of March 5th were detectable main peak differs markedly from the published Konus spectrum. Rather than being dominated by a soft component similar to that observed in the soft gamma repeaters (SGRs), the ICE-PVO spectrum appears to be consistent with a classic GRB spectrum, especially above 100 keV. We believe that, given the ICE-PVO spectral observations, the March 5th transient would have been classified as a classic GRB when it was discovered. The SGRs and GRBs could be consanguineous: high-velocity neutron stars initially produce SGR events (and, occasionally a GRB like March 5th) and when they are older and in the galactic corona, they go through a GRB phase. The March 5th event demonstrates that high-velocity neutron stars at distances of tens kpc are capable of producing events like classic GRBs., Comment: 32 pages, uuencoded Postscript with figures. Also available via ftp at ftp://nis-ftp.lanl.gov/pub/grb/march5.ps

Gamma-ray burst detectors are aboard six U. S. Air Force defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft, two of which are currently in use. Their 800-km altitude orbits give a field of view to 117 degrees from the zenith. A great many bursts have been detected, usually in coincidence with detections by GRO or other satellites such as PVO or ULYSSES. The directions of the sources can be determined with considerable accuracy from such correlated observations, even when GRO/BATSE with its directional capabilities is not involved. Thus these DMSP data, especially in conjunction with other observations, should be helpful in trying to understand the true nature of gamma-ray bursts.

The homogeneity of the burst source population in space with the log N(greater than P sub c)-log P sub c and log (dN/dP sub c)-log P sub c relations is studied on the basis of a sample of 225 observed gamma-ray bursts between September 1978 and July 1988 from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter. The relations N(greater than P sub c) is approximately equal to P sub c exp -1.5 and dN/dP sub c is approximately equal to P sub c exp -2.5 are expected if the gamma bursters are uniformly distributed in space. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic gives a probability of 0.93 that the observed integral distribution N(greater than P sub c) is drawn from the expected uniform distribution P sub c exp -1.5. A least-squares 1 standard deviation fit to the observed differential distribution yields dN/dP sub c of about P sub c -2.42 +/- 0.07. Both are consistent with a uniform distribution in space of the parent population of burst sources.

The vertical structure of the impulsive and gradual hard X-ray sources in high coronae and the characteristics of the impulsive soft X-ray emission are investigated on the basis of PVE, ICE, and GOES observations of the energetic flare on February 16, 1984. The average photon spectra observed by these instruments during the impulsive and gradual hard X-ray bursts are summarized. A comparison of these unocculted and partially occulted spectra shows that the sources of the impulsive hard X-ray (greater than about 25 keV) and impulsive soft X-ray (2-5 keV) emissions in this flare extended to coronal altitudes greater than about 200,000 km above the photosphere. At about 100 keV, the ratio of the coronal source brightness to the total source brightness was 0.001 during the impulsive phase and less than about 0.01 during the gradual hard X-ray burst. The sources of the gradual hard X-ray burst and gradual soft X-ray burst were almost completely occulted, indicating that these sources were located at heights less than 200,000 km above the photosphere.

We recently discovered 217 'new' celestial gamma-ray burst candidates from the 'new' burst search of the PVO real time data base. The burst search covered the time period from September 1978 to July 1988. Sixty were confirmed by at least one other spacecraft, e.g., ISEE-3, V-II, V-12, etc. None triggered the PVO high time resolution memory. In this paper we describe a new algorithm based on the relationship between time width T(w) and hardness ratio HR, to distinguish cosmic gamma-ray bursts from solar flares without knowing the directions of the events. The algorithm was tested with 83 triggered and 60 nontriggered confirmed gamma-ray bursts and 30 confirmed solar flares from PVO.

The relationship between relativistic electron flux variations at 6.6 R(E) and various published indices and solar wind properties is studied. An attempt is made to characterize the temporal and dimensional relationships between solar wind or magnetic indices and electron flux enhancements. It is shown that the solar wind speed upstream of the earth's magnetosphere is correlated with large increases in the flux of highly relativistic electrons at geostationary orbit.

Stereoscopic observations of 0.1-1.0 MeV photon sources in solar flares made with spectrometers aboard the ISEE 3 and PVO (Pioneer Venus Orbiter) have been analyzed to determine the directivity of the photon sources and its possible dependence on photon energy. During the period October 1, 1978-October 31, 1980, a total of 44 solar flares were observed simultaneously by the two instruments. Of these, 39 flares were in full view of both the instruments, the remaining five being partially occulted by the photosphere from the line of sight of at least one instrument. The view angles theta(P) and theta(I) of the PVO and ISEE 3 instruments with respect to the outward solar radius at the flare site varied from one flare to another and were in the range 9-88 deg. The difference between the two view angles varied from 1 deg to 66 deg. The observations of differential photon energy spectra averaged over more than about 16 s do not indicate any systematic directivity. In most flares the directivity of 0.1-1.0 MeV photon sources is found to be less than about 2.5.

The energetic photon spectrometers aboard the ICE and PVO (Pioneer Venus Orbiter) are described briefly, and the procedure for their in-flight calibrations is discussed. Successful intercalibration of these two instruments led to stereoscopic observations of 100 keV-2 MeV photon sources in solar flares and the study of the directivity and height structure of these sources. The impulsive hard X-ray source is found to extend from the chromosphere to the corona, the brightness of the source decreasing rapidly with increase in height above the chromosphere. The analysis so far indicates no systematic directivity for the hard X-ray source. The observations are consistent with energetic electrons accelerated in the corona propagating downward toward the chromosphere. However, when avaraged over the duration of an impulsive hard X-ray flare, the 'beaming' of electrons is found to be small in most flares.

Twenty-seven-day periodic enhancements of the relativistic electrons are observed in association with concurrently measured solar wind streams, and a numerical transport code is used to investigate the coupling of these high-energy electrons to earth's upper and middle atmosphere. When precipitated, these electrons are found to show a large energy deposition at 40-60 km altitude which is 3-4 orders of magnitude greater than the galactic cosmic ray or solar EUV energy deposition at these altitudes. It is suggested that this electron population could play a role in coupling solar wind and magnetospheric variability to the middle atmosphere through a modulating effect on lower D-region ionization and possibly on upper level ozone chemistry.

The high-energy burster GB 790107 has been observed to repeat, on the order of 100 times, between August 13, 1978 and June 27, 1986, with most repetitions occurring in the latter part of 1983. Here, these activities are described, discussing intensity and time-of-occurrence information covering a seven-year span of International Cometary Explorer (ICE) data. Arguments for the reality of this activity and its association with the GB 790107 source are presented. A moderately precise location derived from ICE, SMM, Pioneer Venus Orbiter, and Venera 13 Signe data is given and related to the published GB 790107 location.

The detection of a recurrent high-energy transient source which is neither a classical X-ray nor a gamma-ray burster, but whose properties are intermediate between the two, is reported. The energy spectra of 12 recurrent events are found to be soft, characterized by kT's of 34-56 keV. The time histories are short with rise and fall times as fast as about 10 ms. The source location is a 0.12 sq deg region about 10 deg from the Galactic center.

The February 16, 1984 (0900 UT) solar flare was very energetic and produced a variety of emissions. The X-ray and gamma ray continuum measurement, made aboard the International Cometary Explorer (ICE) and the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO), are briefly described.

A typical gamma to ray burst (GRB), when observed over the approximately 30 keV to 1 MeV range, has a 1 to 10 s duration and a spectrum describable in terms of a several-hundred-keV exponential function. However, KONUS data indicate that some GRBs may belong to a separate class of short (approximately 0.1 s), soft (kT 50 keV) events. This result has been questioned because the KONUS experiments, with only 4 s spectral time resolution and a lack of information approximately 30 keV, are not particularly well suited for the detection and study of these bursts. The UC Berkely/Los Alamos Solar X-Ray Spectrometer/GRB experiment on the International Cometry Explorer (ICE), with nearly continuous coverage of approxiomately one-sixth of the sky down to 5 keV at 0.5 s resolution, is better designed for such a task. Using ICE data, it was confirmed that soft-spectrum events do indeed exist, apparently with properties that set them apart from the general GRB population. Results from the ICE experiment are presented.

Eighty-two gamma ray bursts were detected between 1978 September 14 and 1980 February 13 by the experiments of the interplanetary network (Prognoz 7, Venera 11 and 12 SIGNE experiments, Pioneer Venus Orbiter, International Sun-Earth Explorer 3, Helios 2, and Vela). Sixty-five of these events have been localized to annuli or error boxes by the method of arrival time analysis. The distribution of sources is consistent with isotropy, and there is no statistically convincing evidence for the detection of more than one burst from any source position. The localizations are compared with those of two previous catalogs.

The burster repetition rate is an important parameter in many gamma ray burst models. The localizations of the interplanetary network, which have a relatively small combined surface area, may be used to estimate the average repetition rate. The method consists of (1) estimating the number of random overlaps between error boxes expected in the catalog and comparing this number to that actually observed; (2) modeling the response of the detectors in the network, so that the probability of detecting a burst can be estimated; and (3) simulating the arrival of bursts at the network assuming that burster repetition is governed by a Poisson process. The application of this method for many different burster luminosity functions shows that (1) the lower limit to the burster repetition rate depends strongly upon the assumed luminosity function; (2) the best lower limit to the repetition period obtainable from the data of the network is about 100 months; and (3) that a luminosity function for all bursters similar to that of the 1979 Mar 5 burster is inconsistent with the data.

The locations and time histories of five gamma-ray bursts that occurred between 1979 March 7 and March 31 were studied. The error box for GB 790325 has a typical dimension of about 1.5 arcmin. The other localizations, while not precise enough for thorough optical examination, contribute to distribution studies and allow radio and X-ray observations, catalog searches, and other archival work. A search through selected catalogs did reveal one object, the star FY Aql (cataloged as a Mira-type variable but probably a dwarf nova) inside one of the gamma-ray burst boxes. Given the parameters of this particular search, the probability of at least one chance association is 0.03. Both recent and archival optical examinations of some of the error boxes were carried out, and no indications of any actual physical associations were seen. One event, GB 790331, had an interesting spectral behavior, in that the leading edges of the two main peaks within the burst had harder spectra than the remainder of the event.

The precise source regions of three moderately intense gamma ray bursts are derived. These events were observed with the first interplanetary burst sensor network. The optimum locations of the detectors, widely separated throughout the inner solar system, allowed for high accuracy, over-determined source fields of size 0.7 to 7.0 arc-min(2). All three locations are at fairly high galactic latitude in regions of low source confusion; none can be identified with a steady source object. Archived photographs were searched for optical transients that are able to be associated with these source fields; one such association was made.

Simultaneous X and gamma ray spectra were obtained for four gamma ray burst events using satellite instrumentation. The P78-1 satellite proportional counters recorded X-ray data in the 3-10 keV range, while Pioneer Venus Orbiter and ISEE 3 sensors had a 3 keV lower limit for events. The positively correlated data covered the events GB 790307, 790325, 790504, and 790731. The time histories of the X and gamma ray energies did not correlate well. The post-gamma ray phase of GB 790307 displayed features of simple cooling, and in conjunction with soft X-ray data suggested an origin in an optically thin fireball. However, the data were equally well-fitted by a model of an emitting hot spot on a neutron star. The data negated any concept that gamma ray bursts evolve similarly to classical X-ray bursts.

A gamma-ray burst lasting about 48 ms was observed on June 13, 1979 by four instruments in the interplanetary network. The event is unusual not only by virture of its extremely short duration, but also by the presence of rise and fall times at the 2 ms level in the time history, and because the energy spectrum is hard, extending to 2 MeV. The 0.7 sq arcmin error box contains no optical counterpart on the POSS plate (limiting magnitude, about 21). The spectral characteristics measured by experiments in the interplanetary network are substantially different from those previously reported for this burst.

The log N-log S data acquired by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter Gamma Burst Detector (PVO) are presented and compared to similar data from the Soviet KONUS experiment. Although the PVO data are consistent with and suggestive of a -3/2 power law distribution, the results are not adequate at this state of observations to differentiate between a -3/2 and a -1 power law slope.

The error box of the unusual gamma-ray burst of Mar. 5, 1979 falls completely inside the optical and radio image of the supernova remnant N49 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This region was observed twice in X-rays with the High-Resolution Imager of the Einstein Observatory, six weeks and nearly two years after the gamma-ray burst. A comparison between the two observations is shown.

A quiescent X-ray source detected with the Einstein X-ray Observatory in a location consistent with that of an intense gamma ray burst is shown to be also consistent with the location of the 1928 optical transient, the likely optical counterpart of the gamma ray burst source GBS0117-29. The system appears to be underluminous in X-rays by a factor of 10; possible reasons for this are discussed. The observed X-ray flux would require an accretion rate of about 10 to the -14th (d/1 kpc/)-squared solar masses per year, which is probably too low to be consistent with published nuclear flash models for gamma bursts, unless the distance is substantially greater than about 1 kpc or the burst recurrence time is greater than about 50 yrs, or the accretion rate is highly variable. Such a long recurrence time appears to be inconsistent with the detection of the optical burst.

A correlation has been discovered between the Venera spacecraft locations and the gamma-ray burst positions reported in the KONUS catalog (Mazets et al., 1981a). The reason for the correlation is not clear, but it could be due to spatial selection effects and/or large localization errors for weak or soft bursts. Whatever the cause, it seems likely that this systematic bias might significantly affect catalog results pertaining to gamma burst locations, intensity distributions, and spectra. For example, it can explain why the KONUS galactic latitude distribution is peaked significantly south of the galactic equator. Apparent discrepanices between the KONUS and Los Alamos gamma burst data bases are noted.

Results for three burst locations observed with the imaging proportional counter of the Einstein Observatory are given. The observations are used to determine temperature and accretion constraints for the burst source.

The possible contribution of Compton scattering to the formation of gamma-ray burst spectra is analyzed. Monte Carlo calculations are used to study the spectral distribution emerging from a plasma at temperatures typical of gamma-ray burst spectra (above 100 keV) with an underlying source of photons reprocessed by inverse Compton scattering surrounding a point source of blackbody radiation. Comparison of the computations with the observed spectrum of the burst GB781104 results in a best fit with a blackbody X-ray source at 2.4 keV, plasma temperature of about 150 eV and plasma column density of 4 x 10 to the 24th electrons/sq cm. The Comptonization model is also shown to be capable of accounting for the two-component spectra observed for bursts GB790329 and GB790524, and the moving low-energy spectral cut-off in the burst of November 18, 1978.

(Previously announced in STAR as N82-20110)

Recent ISEE 3 and Pioneer Venus Orbiter observations relevant to the altitude structure of the hard X-ray source down to 3000 km or less above the photosphere are reported. About 90 percent of the impulsive X-ray emission and about 70 percent of the gradual emission originates at altitudes 2500 km or less above the photosphere. In the 100-500 keV range, this altitude dependence is essentially independent of photon energy. Brightness of the impulsive X-ray source decreases rapidly with increase in altitude. As far as models of the impulsive phase are concerned, the thermal model with adiabatic compression and expansion of a magnetically confined plasma and the thin target model are not consistent with these observations. The thick target model and the dissipative thermal model are consistent with the observed low altitude of the hard X-ray source.

Bursts of X-rays coincident in time with two gamma-ray burst events were observed by the 3-12 keV collimated X-ray detectors on the Vela spacecraft. Both of these observations show recurrence on a time scale of hundreds of seconds. For one of these events (GB 720514) the X-ray detection gives an improved position as well as information on the spectrum late in the outburst. The other event (GB 740723) is of special interest because the source, not previously located, is consistent in direction with the binary pulsar SMC X-1 in the Small Magellanic Cloud; this is the first moderately small error box for a gamma-ray burst to contain a strong X-ray source.

A systematic classification of gamma-ray bursts is considered on the basis of temporal and spectral burst features. Three categories of bursts are proposed, and the category of classical (or normal) bursts is subdivided into three classes: very brief, doublet/quasi-periodic, and long irregular. Apparent correlations are discussed between emission lines and the doublet/quasi-periodic class and between absorption lines and the long irregular class.

It is pointed out that most gamma-ray bursts have spectra that are fit by an optically thin thermal bremsstrahlung shape. The small emitting volume implied by the observation of spectral features identified as cyclotron absorption lines from a 10 to the 12th Gauss field is shown to prevent thermal bremsstrahlung from providing sufficient luminosities to account for the observed fluxes unless the optical depth to Compton scattering is large. It is also demonstrated that complicated detector response functions can introduce artifacts that mimic absorption features below 60 keV unless the absolute gain of the detector is established and correctly applied in analysis. Comparing the continuum as observed by the Berkeley/Los Alamos ISEE-3 gamma-ray detector with the continuum observed by the Konus (Mazets et al. 1981) experiments, a lack of agreement is found, suggesting that the gain of one of these experiments may be incorrect.

It is pointed out that several years after the discovery of cosmic gamma ray bursts (GRB) their sources have not yet been identified, although searches have been conducted in optical, X-ray, and radio wavelengths. The three smallest error boxes are now related to the events of Mar. 5, 1979, Apr. 6, 1979, and Nov. 19, 1978. X-ray observations, with the Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC) of the Einstein Observatory, were made for all three locations. A description is presented of the results of the 8200 second IPC observation of the Nov. 19, 1978 GRB, made on July 1 and 2, 1980. Three sources were detected. However, two of them were outside the GRB error box. The third source is located well inside the burst error box.

Refinements in the source direction analysis of the observations of the unusual gamma ray transient are presented. The final results from the interplanetary gamma ray burst network produce a 0.1 arc sq. min. error box. It is nested inside the initially determined 2 arc sq min. source region. This smaller source location is within both the optical and X-ray contours of N49 although not positioned at either contour center.

The celestial source location of the November 19, 1978, intense gamma ray burst has been determined from data obtained with the interplanetary gamma-ray sensor network by means of long-baseline wave front timing instruments. Each of the instruments was designed for studying events with observable spectra of approximately greater than 100 keV, and each provides accurate event profile timing in the several millisecond range. The data analysis includes the following: the triangulated region is centered at (gamma, delta) 1950 = (1h16m32s, -28 deg 53 arcmin), at -84 deg galactic latitude, where the star density is very low and the obscuration negligible. The gamma-ray burst source region, consistent with that of a highly polarized radio source described by Hjellming and Ewald (1981), may assist in the source modeling and may facilitate the understanding of the source process. A marginally identifiable X-ray source was also found by an Einstein Observatory investigation. It is concluded that the burst contains redshifted positron annihilation and nuclear first-excited iron lines, which is consistent with a neutron star origin.

A gamma-ray burst was recorded on 1979 April 6 at 1140 UT by instruments on the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO), Venera 11 (V11), Venera 12 (V12), Prognoz 7 (P7), and International Sun-Earth Explorer-3 (ISEE-3) spacecraft. The event consisted of a single spike of 0.2 s duration and had a spectral feature near 400 keV, thus resembling the 1979 March 5 event in two respects. However, important differences in rise time and spectral hardness make it impossible to conclude positively that the two events shared the same mechanism or had comparable energetics. Constraints placed by these findings on the energetics and types of objects that could be responsible for the April 6 and possibly the March 5 bursts are discussed.

The spectral development of the intense gamma-ray burst observed on March 5, 1979 by nine spacecraft spaced on an interplanetary scale is discussed. As observed by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter detector, the hardness ratio of the burst, defined as the ratio between counts in the 100-1000 keV channels to those in the 50-100 keV channel, decreases during the very fast rise and subsequent 75 msec of the burst, consistent with a decrease in black-body temperature from 30 to 26 keV, and then increases during the shoulder on the gamma-ray burst light curve. Following the burst, the source was observed to exhibit many of the characteristics of a hard X-ray pulsar with a period of 8.0 sec and a hardness ratio varying in phase with the intensity. The observed characteristics of the pulsations are interpreted in terms of hot spots at the magnetic poles of a rotating neutron star, although it is shown that the simple cooling of residual hot spots does not completely explain the pulsations. Alternative explanations for the pulsation include accretion or an effect of beam geometry.

The Nov. 19, 1978 gamma-ray burst (GRB) has a very well determined error box, 10 square arcmin (Cline et al., 1981). An 8000-sec IPC exposure with the Einstein Observatory detected, at a 3.4-sigma level, one low intensity (less than 3 x 10 to the -13th erg/sq cm per sec) X-ray source inside the error box. The probability of a serendipitous detection was 0.01. Inside the X-ray source error box there are two weak radio sources, one of them highly polarized (Hjellming and Ewald, 1981), and two 20-magnitude objects, not coincident with the radio sources visible in the ESO/SRC J and R plates. With the exception of N49, this is the first possible detection of X-ray emission inside a GRB box. Its low intensity justifies, in fact, the lack of detection for other events.

The University of California at Berkeley (UCB)/Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) gamma-ray burst experiment on board ISEE-3 is described and initial results of the experiment are presented. The instrument consists of an X-ray spectrometer originally designed to monitor solar emission continuously over the energy range 4.8-1264 keV with additional electronics to record data from the intense, short-lived gamma ray bursts at a very high rate and with good timing accuracy. Since the launch of ISEE-3 into a heliocentric orbit at the inner Lagrangian point in August, 1978, the UCB/LASL experiment has detected and recorded 12 gamma-ray bursts, including the unusually intense burst of November 4, 1978, which exhibited most of the classical gamma-ray burst characteristics, the intense burst of November 19, 1978, with an atypical time history and an unusually hard spectrum, and the extended burst of March 7, 1979. The spectral and temporal data demonstrate the diverse nature of the gamma-ray burst phenomenon, and are currently being combined with those of the Pioneer Venus Orbiter and Venera 11 and 12 to obtain accurate burst locations.

Stereoscopic observations of 50-100 keV solar X-rays, made with two spacecraft in heliocentric orbit, have been used to measure the directivity of impulsive solar X-ray bursts. The observations are consistent with an essentially isotropic emission of 50-100 keV X-rays over observation angles between 13 and 79 deg.