Universal Afterglow Of Supernova-Less Gamma Ray Bursts

TL;DR

This paper proposes a universal model for the afterglows of supernova-less gamma-ray bursts, suggesting they are powered by pulsar wind nebulae, and demonstrates that their light curves follow a common pattern.

Contribution

It introduces a universal dimensionless formula that accurately describes the afterglow behavior of SN-less GRBs, unifying short and long types under a pulsar-powered model.

Findings

Afterglows follow a universal temporal pattern

The model fits well with observed data of SN-less GRBs

Pulsar wind nebulae likely power these afterglows

Abstract

The well-sampled afterglows of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) not associated with a supernova (SN) explosion, can be scaled down to a simple dimensionless universal formula, which describes well their temporal behavior. Such SN-less GRBs include short hard bursts (SHBs) and long SN-less GRBs. The universal temporal behavior of their afterglows is that expected from a pulsar wind nebula powered by the rotational energy loss of the newly born pulsar.