An Extra Long X-Ray Plateau in a Gamma-Ray Burst and the Spinar Paradigm

TL;DR

This paper explains the unusually long X-ray plateau in GRB 070110 using the spinar model, suggesting a quasi-equilibrium collapsing object whose magnetic and rotational forces sustain the emission for 20,000 seconds.

Contribution

It introduces the spinar paradigm as a natural explanation for long X-ray plateaus in gamma-ray bursts, linking observed phenomena to a specific collapsing object model.

Findings

The X-ray plateau lasted for 20,000 seconds.

The spinar model accounts for the observed properties of the plateau.

The emitting object was smaller than the Schwarzschild radius during the plateau.

Abstract

The recently discovered gamma-ray burst GRB 070110 displayed an extraordinary X-ray afterglow with Xray radiation-i.e., an X-ray plateau-observed for 20,000 s. We show that the observed properties of the plateau can be naturally interpreted in terms of the model with a spinar-a quasi-equilibrium collapsing object whose equilibrium is maintained by the balance of centrifugal and gravitational forces and whose evolution is determined by its magnetic field. If this model is true, then for 1 hr, the Swift X-ray telescopes recorded radiation from an object with a size smaller than the Schwarzschild radius!