Exploring the Properties of Choked Gamma-Ray Bursts with IceCube's High Energy Neutrinos

TL;DR

This study models the neutrino emission from different types of gamma-ray bursts associated with core-collapse supernovae, using IceCube data to constrain jet and progenitor properties, revealing most jets are choked and neutrinos are key probes.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed jet physics model within the internal-shock GRB framework, linking neutrino observations to constraining supernova progenitor and jet characteristics.

Findings

IceCube data limits suggest up to 1% of CCSNe have jets.

Most astrophysical jets in CCSNe are choked and do not produce gamma-ray signals.

Neutrinos are effective probes for understanding GRB physics and the CCSN-GRB connection.

Abstract

Long duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have often been considered as the natural evolution of some core-collapse supernova (CCSN) progenitors. However, the fraction of CCSNe linked to astrophysical jets and their properties are still poorly constrained. While any successful astrophysical jet harbored in a CCSN should produce high energy neutrinos, photons may be able to successfully escape the stellar envelope only for a fraction of progenitors, possibly leading to the existence of high-luminosity, low-luminosity and not-electromagnetically bright ("choked") GRBs. By postulating a CCSN-GRB connection, we accurately model the jet physics within the internal-shock GRB model and assume scaling relations for the GRB parameters that depend on the Lorentz boost factor $\Gamma$. The IceCube high energy neutrino flux is then employed as an upper limit of the neutrino background from electromagnetically bright and choked GRBs to constrain the jet and the progenitor properties. The current IceCube data set is compatible with up to $1\%$ of all CCSNe harboring astrophysical jets. Interestingly, those jets are predominantly choked. Our findings suggest that neutrinos can be powerful probes of the burst physics and can provide major insights on the CCSN-GRB connection.