GRB 211024B: an ultra-long GRB powered by magnetar

TL;DR

This paper studies the ultra-long gamma-ray burst GRB 211024B, presenting optical and X-ray observations, and proposes a magnetar central engine model involving collapse into a black hole to explain the observed light curve features.

Contribution

It introduces a magnetar-based model with collapse into a black hole to explain the unique light curve features of an ultra-long GRB, supported by multi-wavelength observations.

Findings

X-ray light curve shows an internal plateau and steep decline.

Optical afterglow indicates external shock with energy injection.

Magnetar collapse likely causes the steep X-ray break.

Abstract

Ultra-long gamma-ray bursts (ULGRBs) are characterized by exceptionally long-duration central engine activities, with characteristic timescales exceeding 1000 seconds. We present ground-based optical afterglow observations of the ultra-long gamma-ray burst GRB 211024B, detected by \textit{Swift}. Its X-ray light curve exhibits a characteristic ``internal plateau" with a shallow decay phase lasting approximately $\sim 15$ ks, followed by a steep decline ($\alpha_{\rm drop}\sim-7.5$). Moreover, the early optical emission predicted by the late r-band optical afterglow is significantly higher than the observed value, indicating an external shock with energy injection. To explain these observations, we propose a magnetar central engine model. The magnetar collapse into a black hole due to spin-down or hyperaccretion, leading to the observed steep break in the X-ray light curve. The afterglow model fitting reveals that the afterglow injection luminosity varies with different assumptions of the circumburst medium density, implying different potential energy sources. For the interstellar medium (ISM) case with a fixed injection end time, the energy may originate from the magnetar's dipole radiation. However, in other scenarios, relativistic jets produced by the magnetar/black hole system could be the primary energy source.