Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2007-01-11
Phil.Trans.Roy.Soc.Lond.A365:1129-1139,2007
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
12 pages, Royal Society meeting on GRBs, to appear in Philosophical Transactions A
Scientific paper
10.1098/rsta.2006.1997
The observational diversity of ``gamma-ray bursts'' (GRBs) has been increasing, and the natural inclination is a proliferation of models. We explore the possibility that at least part of this diversity is a consequence of a single basic model for the central engine operating in a massive star of variable mass, differential rotation rate, and mass loss rate. Whatever that central engine may be - and here the collapsar is used as a reference point - it must be capable of generating both a narrowly collimated, highly relativistic jet to make the GRB, and a wide angle, sub-relativistic outflow responsible for exploding the star and making the supernova bright. To some extent, the two components may vary independently, so it is possible to produce a variety of jet energies and supernova luminosities. We explore, in particular, the production of low energy bursts and find a lower limit, $\sim10^{48}$ erg s$^{-1}$ to the power required for a jet to escape a massive star before that star either explodes or is accreted. Lower energy bursts and and ``suffocated'' bursts may be particularly prevalent when the metallicity is high, i.e., in the modern universe at low redshift.
Woosley Stan E.
Zhang Weiqun
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