Numerical models of blackbody-dominated gamma-ray bursts -- II. Emission properties

TL;DR

This paper models the emission properties of blackbody-dominated gamma-ray bursts using relativistic hydrodynamic simulations, explaining their thermal and non-thermal signatures and their lack of classical afterglows.

Contribution

It provides a detailed simulation-based explanation of the emission mechanisms in BBD-GRBs, focusing on jet interactions and resulting radiative signatures, including thermal and non-thermal components.

Findings

Non-thermal emission from the forward shock dominates early on.

Jets quickly decelerate due to mass entrainment, not external medium plowing.

Light curves are flat for the first 2 days, matching observations.

Abstract

Blackbody-dominated (BBD) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are events characterized by long durations and the presence of a significant thermal component following the prompt emission, as well as by the absence of a typical afterglow. GRB 101225A is the most prominent member of this class. A plausible progenitor system for it and for BBD-GRBs is the merger a neutron star and a helium core of an evolved, massive star. Using relativistic hydrodynamic simulations we model the propagation of ultrarelativistic jets through the environments created by such mergers. In a previous paper we showed that the thermal emission in BBD-GRBs is linked to the interaction of an ultrarelativistic jet with the ejected envelope of the secondary star of the binary. Here we focus on explaining the emission properties of BBD-GRBs computing the whole radiative signature (both thermal and non-thermal) of the jet dynamical evolution. The non-thermal emission of the forward shock of the jet is dominant during the early phases of the evolution, when that shock is moderately relativistic. Our models do not produce a classical afterglow because the quick deceleration of the jet results primarily from the mass entrainment in the beam, and not from the process of plowing mass from the external medium in front of the GRB ejecta. The contribution of the reverse shock is of the same magnitude than that of the forward shock during the first 80 min after the GRB. Later, it quickly fades because the jet/environment interaction chocks the ultrarelativistic jet beam and effectively dumps the reverse shock. In agreement with observations, we obtain rather flat light curves during the first 2 d after the GRB, and a spectral evolution consistent with the observed reddening of the system.