The prompt X-ray emission of GRB011211: possible evidence of a transient absorption feature

Abstract

We report on observation results of the prompt X- and gamma-ray emission from GRB011211. This event was detected with the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor and one of the Wide Field Cameras aboard the BeppoSAX satellite. The optical counterpart to the GRB was soon identified and its redshift determined (z = 2.140), while with the XMM-Newton satellite, the X-ray afterglow emission was detected. Evidence of soft X-ray emission lines was reported by Reeves et al. (2002), but not confirmed by other authors. In investigating the spectral evolution of the prompt emission we find the possible evidence of a transient absorption feature at 6.9^{+0.6}_{-0.5} keV during the rise of the primary event. The significance of the feature is derived with non parametric tests and numerical simulations, finding a chance probability which ranges from 3x10^{-3} down to 4x10^{-4}. The feature shows a Gaussian profile and an equivalent width of 1.2^{+0.5}_{-0.6} keV. We discuss our results and their possible interpretation.