Density Profiles of Collapsed Rotating Massive Stars Favor Long Gamma-Ray Bursts

TL;DR

This study uses realistic post-collapse stellar profiles from core-collapse simulations to better understand long gamma-ray burst formation, showing that flatter density profiles are more conducive to jet breakout and observable lGRBs.

Contribution

It provides self-consistent, post-collapse stellar density profiles from simulations, highlighting their importance for accurate lGRB modeling, unlike previous simpler pre-collapse models.

Findings

Post-collapse density profiles are flatter with $ ho \,\propto r^{-1.35}$ to $r^{-1.55}$.

Steeper pre-collapse profiles ($\sim r^{-2.5}$) are inconsistent with lGRB observations.

Shallower post-collapse profiles are more conducive to jet breakout and lGRB observables.

Abstract

Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (lGRBs) originate in relativistic collimated outflows -- jets -- that drill their way out of collapsing massive stars. Accurately modeling this process requires realistic stellar profiles for the jets to propagate through and break out of. Most previous studies have used simple power laws or pre-collapse models for massive stars. However, the relevant stellar profile for lGRB models is in fact that of a star after its core has collapsed to form a compact object. To self-consistently compute such a stellar profile, we use the open-source code GR1D to simulate the core-collapse process for a suite of low-metallicity, rotating, massive stellar progenitors that have undergone chemically homogeneous evolution. Our models span a range of zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) masses: $M_\mathrm{ZAMS} = 13, 18, 21, 25, 35, 40$, and $45 M_\odot$. All of these models, at the onset of core-collapse, feature steep density profiles, $\rho \propto r^{-\alpha}$ with $\alpha\approx 2.5$, which would result in jets that are inconsistent with lGRB observables. We follow the collapse of four out of our seven models until they form BHs and the other three proto-neutron stars (PNSs). We find, across all models, that the density profile outside of the newly-formed BH or PNS is well-represented by a flatter power law with $\alpha \approx 1.35{-}1.55$. Such flat density profiles are conducive to successful formation and breakout of BH-powered jets and, in fact, required to reproduce observable properties of lGRBs. Future models of lGRBs should be initialized with shallower \textit{post-collapse} stellar profiles like those presented here instead of the much steeper pre-collapse profiles that are typically used.