Related papers: Magnetars and Gamma Ray Bursts
We examine millisecond magnetars as central engines of Gamma Ray Bursts' (GRB) prompt emission. Using the proto-magnetar wind model of Metzger et al. 2011, we estimate the temporal evolution of the magnetization and power injection at the…
I review aspects of the theory of long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) central engines. I focus on the requirements of any model; these include the angular momentum of the progenitor, the power, Lorentz factor, asymmetry, and duration of the…
The millisecond proto-magnetar model for the central engine of long-duration gamma-ray bursts is briefly reviewed. Limitations and uncertainties in the model are highlighted. A short discussion of the maximum energy, maximum duration,…
Long duration Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) originate from the core collapse of massive stars, but the identity of the central engine remains elusive. Previous work has shown that rapidly spinning, strongly magnetized proto-neutron stars…
Discovered over forty years ago, Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) remain a forefront topic in modern astrophysics. Perhaps the most fundamental question associated with GRBs is the nature of the astrophysical agent (or agents) that ultimately powers…
Extended emission gamma-ray bursts are a subset of the `short' class of burst which exhibit an early time rebrightening of gamma emission in their light curves. This extended emission arises just after the initial emission spike, and can…
The central engine that powers gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most powerful explosions in the universe, is still not identified. Besides hyper-accreting black holes, rapidly spinning and highly magnetized neutron stars, known as millisecond…
One favored progenitor model for short duration gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) is the coalescence of two neutron stars (NS-NS). One possible outcome of such a merger would be a rapidly spinning, strongly magnetized neutron star (known as a…
Leading models for the "central engine" of long, soft gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are briefly reviewed with emphasis on the collapsar model. Growing evidence supports the hypothesis that GRBs are a supernova-like phenomenon occurring in star…
Millisecond magnetars produced in the center of dying massive stars are one prominent model to power gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). However, their detailed nature remains a mystery. To explore the effects of the initial mass, rotation rate, wind…
The observational diversity of ``gamma-ray bursts'' (GRBs) has been increasing, and the natural inclination is a proliferation of models. We explore the possibility that at least part of this diversity is a consequence of a single basic…
Most gamma-ray bursts are made during the deaths of massive stars. Here the environmental circumstances, stellar evolutionary paths, and explosion physics that might produce the bursts are reviewed. Neither of the two leading models -…
Magnetars are a sizable subclass of the neutron star census. Their very high magnetic field strengths are thought to be a consequence of rapid (millisecond) rotation at birth in a successful core-collapse supernova. In their first tens of…
Gamma-ray burst (GRB) central engines and jet production mechanisms are still open questions. Assuming that the shallow decay segments of canonical X-ray afterglow lightcurves of {\em Swift} GRBs are attributed to the magnetic dipole (MD)…
A millisecond magnetar engine has been widely suggested to exist in gamma-ray burst (GRB) phenomena, in view of its substantial influences on the GRB afterglow emission. In this paper, we investigate the effects of the magnetar engine on…
We suggest a short-living supermassive magnetar model to account for the X-ray flares following short $\gamma-$ray bursts. In this model, the central engine of the short $\gamma-$ray bursts is a supermassive millisecond magnetar. The X-ray…
One of the most elusive features of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) is the sporadic emission prior to the main prompt event observed in at least $\sim 15\%$ of cases. These precursors have spectral and temporal properties similar to the main prompt…
For over 25 years, the origin of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (lGRBs) has been linked to the collapse of rotating massive stars. However, we have yet to pinpoint the stellar progenitor powering these transients. Moreover, the dominant…
Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) may be powered by the rotational energy of a millisecond magnetar. I argue that the GRB-driving magnetars lie at the high end of the distribution of magnetic field strengths of magnetars. The field of…
The spin-down energy of millisecond magnetars has been invoked to explain X-ray afterglow observations of a significant fraction of short and long gamma-ray bursts. Here, we extend models previously introduced in the literature,…