English

X-ray-powered macronovae

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena 2016-02-17 v2

Abstract

A macronova (or kilonova) was observed as an infrared excess several days after short gamma-ray burst, GRB 130603B. Although the rr-process radioactivity is widely discussed as an energy source, it requires huge mass of ejecta from a neutron star (NS) binary merger. We propose a new model that the X-ray excess gives rise to the simultaneously observed infrared excess via thermal re-emission and explore what constraints this would place on the mass and velocity of the ejecta. This X-ray-powered model explains both the X-ray and infrared excesses with a single energy source by the central engine like a black hole, and allows for broader parameter region, in particular smaller ejecta mass 103102M\sim10^{-3}-10^{-2}M_{\odot} with iron mixed as suggested by general relativistic simulations for typical NS-NS mergers, than the previous models. We also discuss the other macronova candidates in GRB 060614 and GRB 080503, and implications for the search of electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1508.05093,
  title  = {X-ray-powered macronovae},
  author = {Shota Kisaka and Kunihito Ioka and Ehud Nakar},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1508.05093},
  year   = {2016}
}

Comments

8 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal

R2 v1 2026-06-22T10:38:19.837Z