A new three-parameter correlation for gamma-ray bursts with a plateau phase in the afterglow

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new three-parameter correlation involving gamma-ray burst properties, which enhances the understanding of GRB afterglows and supports their potential as standard candles for cosmology.

Contribution

The study identifies a tighter three-parameter correlation for GRBs with plateau phases, incorporating isotropic gamma-ray energy, and suggests its consistency with magnetar models.

Findings

A new three-parameter correlation improves GRB luminosity relations.

Both long and intermediate GRBs follow the same correlation.

The correlation supports the magnetar origin hypothesis for plateau phases.

Abstract

Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) have great advantages for their huge burst energies, luminosities and high redshifts in probing the Universe. A few interesting luminosity correlations of GRBs have been used to test cosmology models. Especially, for a subsample of long GRBs with known redshifts and a plateau phase in the afterglow, a correlation between the end time of the plateau phase (in the GRB rest frame) and the corresponding X-ray luminosity has been found. In this paper, we re-analyze the subsample and found that a significantly tighter correlation exists when we add a third parameter, i.e. the isotropic $\gamma$-ray energy release, into the consideration. Additionally, both long and intermediate duration GRBs are consistent with the same three-parameter correlation equation. It is argued that the new three-parameter correlation is consistent with the hypothesis that the subsample of GRBs with a plateau phase in the afterglow be associated with the birth of rapidly rotating magnetars, and that the plateau be due to the continuous energy-injection from the magnetar. It is suggested that the newly born millisecond magnetars associated with GRBs might provide a good standard candle in the Universe.