The GRB-Supernova Connection

TL;DR

This paper reviews the established and emerging evidence linking long-duration gamma-ray bursts with supernovae, highlighting confirmed cases, observed correlations, and recent discoveries that strengthen the connection between these cosmic phenomena.

Contribution

It summarizes recent observational evidence and correlations that support the connection between GRBs and supernovae, including new discoveries extending this relationship.

Findings

Confirmed spectroscopic links between GRBs and SNe in four cases.

Detected supernova signatures in over a dozen GRB afterglows.

Found a correlation between GRB spectral energy and SN luminosity.

Abstract

Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are believed to be produced by the core collapse of massive stars and hence to be connected with supernovae (SNe). Indeed, for four pairs of GRBs and SNe, spectroscopically confirmed connection has been firmly established. For more than a dozen of GRBs the SN signature (the `red bump') has been detected in the afterglow lightcurves. Based on the four pairs of GRBs and SNe with spectroscopically confirmed connection a tight correlation was found between the peak spectral energy of GRBs and the peak bolometric luminosity of the underlying SNe. The recent discovery of X-ray flash 080109 associated with a normal core-collapse SN 2008D confirmed this relation and extended the GRB-SN connection. Progress on the GRB-SN connection is briefly reviewed.