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Astrolunch: Christopher Irwin (University of Virginia) | The Racah Institute of Physics

Astrolunch: Christopher Irwin (University of Virginia)

Date: 
Tue, 16/02/201612:30-13:30
TITLE: Unraveling GRB 060218
ABSTRACT: We consider a model for the long-duration, low-luminosity gamma-ray burst GRB 060218 that plausibly accounts for multiwavelength observations to day 20. The components of our model are: (1) a long-lived (t ~ 3000 s) central engine and accompanying low-luminosity (L ~ 1e47 erg/s), mildly relativistic jet; (2) a low-mass (~ 1e-2 Msun ) envelope surrounding the progenitor star; and (3) a modest amount of dust (A_V ~ 0.1) in the circumstellar or interstellar environment. Blackbody emission from the transparency radius in a low-power jet outflow can fit the prompt thermal X-ray emission, and the prompt nonthermal X-rays and gamma-rays may be produced via Compton scattering of thermal photons from hot leptons in the jet interior or the external shocks. The later mildly relativistic phase of this outflow can produce the radio emission via synchrotron radiation from the forward shock. Meanwhile, interaction of the associated SN 2006aj with a circumstellar envelope extending to ~ 10 cm can explain the early optical peak. The X-ray afterglow can be interpreted as a light echo of the prompt emission from dust at ~ 30 pc. Our model is a plausible alternative to that of Nakar, who recently proposed shock breakout of a jet smothered by an extended envelope as the source of prompt emission. Both our results and Nakar's suggest that ultra-long bursts such as GRB 060218 and GRB 100316D may originate from unusual progenitors with extended circumstellar envelopes, and that a jet is necessary to decouple the prompt high-energy emission from the supernova. We discuss the advantages and drawbacks of each model, and consider implications for the classification of long-duration gamma-ray transients.