Luminous supernova-like UV/optical/infrared transients associated with ultra-long gamma-ray bursts from metal-poor blue supergiants

TL;DR

This paper proposes that ultra-long gamma-ray bursts from metal-poor blue supergiants produce luminous, long-lasting UV/optical/infrared emissions from cocoon fireballs, which could be observed as supernovae or rebrightenings at high redshifts.

Contribution

It introduces a new model linking ultra-long GRBs from metal-poor BSGs to bright, long-duration cocoon emissions detectable in UV/optical/infrared bands.

Findings

Cocoon emissions can be extremely bright in UV/optical bands.

Such emissions could last around 100 days in the rest frame.

Potential detectability of Pop III GRB cocoon emissions with JWST at high redshifts.

Abstract

Metal-poor massive stars may typically end up their lives as blue supergiants (BSGs). Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) from such progenitors could have ultra-long duration of relativistic jets. For example Population III (Pop III) GRBs at z ~ 10-20 might be observable as X-ray rich events with a typical duration of T_90 ~ 10^4(1+z) sec. Recent GRB111209A at z = 0.677 has an ultra long duration of T_90 ~ 2.5*10^4 sec so that it have been suggested that the progenitor might be a metal-poor BSGs in the local universe. Here, we suggest luminous UV/optical/infrared emissions associated with such a new class of GRB from metal poor BSGs. Before the jet head breaks out the progenitor envelope, the energy injected by the jet is stored in a hot-plasma cocoon, which finally emerges and expands as a baryon-loaded fireball. We show that the photospheric emissions from the cocoon fireball could be intrinsically very bright (L_peak ~ 10^(42-44) erg/sec) in UV/optical bands (E_peak ~ 10 eV) with a typical duration of ~ 100 days in the rest frame. Such cocoon emissions from Pop III GRB might be detectable in infrared bands at ~ years after Pop III GRBs at up to z ~ 15 by up-coming facilities like JWST. We also suggest that GRB111209A might have been rebrightening in UV/optical bands up to an AB magnitude of < 26. The cocoon emissions from local metal-poor BSGs might have been already observed as luminous supernovae without GRB since they can be seen from the off-axis direction of the jet.