The Blackholic energy and the canonical Gamma-Ray Burst

TL;DR

This paper presents a model for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) originating from black hole formation, emphasizing a canonical sequence involving plasma creation, baryon engulfment, and afterglow emission, supported by Swift and VLT observations.

Contribution

The paper introduces a unified GRB model based on three paradigms, detailing the physical processes from black hole formation to afterglow, and compares it with existing literature.

Findings

Canonical GRB sequence identified from observations.

Short GRBs explained by zero baryon loading in the model.

Key parameters include plasma energy, baryon load, and ISM distribution.

Abstract

We outline the main results of our GRB model, based on the three interpretation paradigms we proposed in July 2001, comparing and contrasting them with the ones in the current literature. Thanks to the observations by Swift and by VLT, this analysis points to a "canonical GRB" originating from markedly different astrophysical scenarios. The communality is that they are all emitted in the formation of a black hole with small or null angular momentum. The following sequence appears to be canonical: the vacuum polarization process creating an optically thick self accelerating electron-positron plasma; the engulfment of baryonic mass during the plasma expansion; the adiabatic expansion of the optically thick "fireshell" up to the transparency; the interaction of the remaining accelerated baryons with the interstellar medium (ISM). This leads to the canonical GRB composed of a proper GRB (P-GRB), emitted at the moment of transparency, followed by an extended afterglow. The parameters are the plasma total energy, the fireshell baryon loading and the ISM filamentary distribution around the source. In the limit of no baryon loading the total energy is radiated in the P-GRB. In this limit, the canonical GRBs explain as well the short GRBs.