A double component in GRB 090618: a proto-black hole and a genuinely long GRB

TL;DR

This study analyzes GRB 090618 using the fireshell model, revealing two distinct episodes: a thermal precursor linked to the proto-black hole formation and a subsequent long GRB, providing insights into black hole formation and GRB emission mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces a two-component analysis of GRB 090618, identifying a thermal precursor as a proto-black hole and characterizing the main GRB emission within the fireshell model.

Findings

Evidence of two episodes: a thermal precursor and a long GRB

The precursor is related to proto-black hole formation

The main GRB has Lorentz factor 495 and interacts with surrounding clouds

Abstract

The joint X and gamma-ray observations of GRB 090618 by a large number of satellites offer an unprecedented possibility of testing crucial aspects of theoretical models. In particular, it allows us to test (a) the formation of an optically thick e+e- baryon plasma self-accelerating to Lorentz factors in the range 200 < g < 3000; (b) its transparency condition with the emission of a component of 10^{53-54} baryons in the TeV region and (c) the collision of these baryons with the circumburst medium clouds, characterized by dimensions of 10^{15-16} cm. In addition, these observations offer the possibility of testing a new understanding of the thermal and power-law components in the early phase of this GRB. We test the fireshell model of GRBs in one of the closest (z = 0.54) and most energetic (Eiso = 2.90 x 10^{53} ergs) GRBs, namely GRB 090618. We analyze its emission using several spectral models, with special attention to the thermal and power-law components. We determine the fundamental parameters of a canonical GRB within the context of the fireshell model. We find evidences of the existence of two different episodes in GRB 090618. The first episode lasts 50 s and is characterized by a spectrum consisting of thermal component, which evolves between kT = 54 keV and kT = 12 keV. The second episode, which lasts for \sim 100s, behaves as a canonical long GRB with a Lorentz gamma factor at transparency of g = 495, a temperature at transparency of 29.22 keV and with characteristic masses of the surrounding clouds of \sim 10^{22-24} g. We support the recently proposed two-component nature of GRB 090618 by using specific theoretical analysis and illustrate that the episode 1 cannot be considered to be either a GRB or a part of a GRB event, but it appears to be related to the progenitor of the collapsing bare core leading to the formation of the black hole which we call a proto-black hole.