Magnetar-energized supernova explosions and GRB-jets

TL;DR

This study uses axisymmetric general relativistic MHD simulations to model magnetar-driven supernova explosions, revealing early collimated jets with potential to explain long-duration GRBs and their afterglows.

Contribution

First self-consistent numerical model demonstrating how magnetar-energized jets can produce long-duration GRBs and their afterglows.

Findings

Jets are highly collimated and magnetically driven.

Jets reach speeds of about 0.5c and traverse the progenitor in a few seconds.

The rotational energy of the magnetar can power hypernovae and GRBs.

Abstract

In this paper we report on the early evolution of core-collapse supernova explosion following the birth of a magnetar with the dipolar magnetic field of B=10^{15}G and the rotational period of 2ms, which was studied by means of axisymmetric general relativistic MHD simulations. The numerical models exhibit highly collimated magnetically-driven jets very early on. The jets are super-Alfvenic but remain sub-fast until the end of the simulations (t=0.2s). The power released in the jets is about 3x10^{50}erg/s which implies the spin-down time of ~37s. The total rotational energy of the magnetar, E~10^{52}erg, is sufficient to drive hypernova but it is not clear as to how large a fraction of this energy can be transfered to the stellar envelope. Given the observed propagation speed of the jets, v_p~0.17c, they are expected to traverse the progenitor in few seconds and after this most of the released rotational energy would be simply carried away by these jets into the surrounding space. Our results provide the first more or less self-consistent numerical model of a central engine capable of producing, in the supernova setting and on a long-term basis, collimated jets with sufficient power to explain long duration GRBs and their afterglows. Although the flow speed of our jets is relatively low, v_j~0.5c$, the cooling of proto-neutron star will eventually result in much higher magnetization of its magnetospheres and ultra-relativistic asymptotic speeds of the jets. Given the relatively long cooling time-scale we still expect the jets to be only weakly relativistic by the time of break out. This leads to a model of GRB jets with systematic longitudinal variation of Lorentz factor which may have specific observational signatures both in the prompt and the afterglow emission.