Towards Understanding the Origin of Swift Gamma-Ray Bursts Driven by Magnetars

TL;DR

This study investigates Swift gamma-ray bursts with extended emissions and X-ray plateaus, providing evidence that magnetars could be the central engine, and explores their properties and classifications across different GRB types.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive analysis linking GRB features to magnetar properties, revealing new relations and classifications that support magnetar-driven models for diverse GRB phenomena.

Findings

GRBs with extended emission and X-ray plateau follow a specific luminosity-time-energy relation.

Most GRBs with plateaus have magnetar-compatible periods and magnetic fields.

Standardized X-ray afterglows differ significantly between plateau and non-plateau GRBs.

Abstract

We analyze a sample of\textit{ Swift} gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with extended emissions in $\gamma$-rays and/or X-ray plateaus that may be driven by magnetars. Multi-wavelength data and multi-standards have been adopted to investigate the issue jointly. First, we find that GRBs with both extended emission and X-ray plateau satisfy a three-parameter relation between the luminosity and the end time of X-ray plateaus and the $\gamma$-ray isotropic energy as $L_X\varpropto T_a^{-1.13}E_{\gamma,iso}^{0.74}$, which is consistent with that of normal GRBs. Second, we distinguish these GRBs in the plane of magnetic field versus period of neutron star and find that almost all GRBs but GRB 211024B have reasonable periods and majority of them could be powered by magnetars. Third, we standardize the X-ray afterglows with distinct characteristics and find that the standard X-ray light curves with/without plateaus are significantly different. The standardized X-ray plateaus are similar to the mean temporal profile of magnetars. Fourth, it is verified with a K-S test that all types of GRBs except short ones have the similar distributions of redshift and isotropic energy in the observer/rest frame. GRBs with internal plateaus are significantly different from those of normal long GRBs and GRBs with external plateaus and/or extended emissions. Interestingly, the isotropic energy distributions of GRBs with internal and external plateaus are identical with those of short and long GRBs, respectively. Overall, our study can bring solid evidence that the fascinating magnetars could have multi-formation channels to account for not only short but also long GRBs with either internal or external X-ray plateaus as well.