Unifying the Zoo of Jet-Driven Stellar Explosions

TL;DR

This paper uses numerical simulations to study how different durations of relativistic jets from stellar engines lead to various types of stellar explosions, including gamma-ray bursts and supernovae.

Contribution

It provides a unified framework linking jet duration to diverse stellar explosion outcomes, expanding understanding of engine-driven supernovae and gamma-ray bursts.

Findings

Long-duration engines produce successful gamma-ray bursts.

Short-duration engines result in ordinary supernovae.

Intermediate durations lead to weak gamma-ray bursts.

Abstract

We present a set of numerical simulations of stellar explosions induced by relativistic jets emanating from a central engine sitting at the center of compact, dying stars. We explore a wide range of durations of the central engine activity, two candidate stellar progenitors, and two possible values of the total energy release. We find that even if the jets are narrowly collimated, their interaction with the star unbinds the stellar material, producing a stellar explosion. We also find that the outcome of the explosion can be very different depending on the duration of the engine activity. Only the longest-lasting engines result in successful gamma-ray bursts. Engines that power jets only for a short time result in relativistic supernova explosions, akin to observed engine-driven SNe such as SN2009bb. Engines with intermediate durations produce weak gamma-ray bursts, with properties similar to nearby bursts such as GRB 980425. Finally, we find that the engines with the shortest durations, if they exist in nature, produce stellar explosions that lack sizable amounts of relativistic ejecta and are therefore dynamically indistinguishable from ordinary core-collapse supernovae.