Related papers: Binary Merger Progenitors for Gamma-Ray Bursts and…
We suggest that the collapsing core of a massive rotating star may fragment to produce two or more compact objects. Their coalescence under gravitational radiation gives the resulting black hole or neutron star a significant kick velocity,…
A variety of stellar explosions powered by black hole accretion are discussed. All involve the failure of neutrino energy deposition to launch a strong supernova explosion. A key quantity which determines the type of high energy transient…
It has been suggested that magnetic fields play a dynamically-important role in core-collapse explosions of massive stars. In particular, they may be important in the collapsar scenario for gamma-ray bursts (GRB), where the central engine…
We propose that the cosmological gamma ray bursts arise from the collapse of neutron stars to black holes triggered by collisions or mergers with main sequence stars. This scenario represents a cosmological history qualitatively different…
The observed association between supernovae and gamma-ray bursts represents a cornerstone in our understanding of the nature of gamma-ray bursts. The collapsar model provides a theoretical framework for this connection. A key element is the…
We analyze the properties of 42 rapidly rotating, low metallicity, quasi-chemically homogeneously evolving stellar models in the mass range between 4 and 45 $\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ at the time of core collapse. Such models were proposed as…
Recent discoveries of gravitational wave sources have advanced our knowledge about the formation of compact object binaries. At present, many questions about the stellar origins of binary neutron stars remain open. We explore the evolution…
We here propose a two-step model for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) associated with supernovae. In the first step, the core collapse of a star with mass $\ge 19M_\odot$ leads to a massive neutron star and a normal supernova, and subsequently…
We study the angular momentum evolution of binaries containing two white dwarfs which merge and become cool helium-rich supergiants. Our object is to compare predicted rotation velocities with observations of highly evolved stars believed…
The most popular model for short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) involves the coalescence of binary neutron stars. Because the progenitor is actually hidden from view, we must consider under which circumstances such merging systems are capable of…
The recent localization of some short-hard gamma ray bursts (GRBs) in galaxies with low star formation rates has lent support to the suggestion that these events result from compact object binary mergers. We discuss how new simulations in…
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…
In recent years, detailed observations and accurate numerical simulations have provided support to the idea that mergers of compact binaries containing either two neutron stars (NSs) or an NS and a black hole (BH) may constitute the central…
The angular momentum (AM) content of massive stellar cores helps to determine the natal spin rates of neutron stars and black holes. Asteroseismic measurements of low-mass stars have proven that stellar cores rotate slower than predicted by…
Coalescing binary systems, consisting of two collapsed objects, are among the most promising sources of high frequency gravitational waves signals detectable, in principle, by ground-based interferometers. Binary systems of Neutron Star or…
We present a specific scenario for the link between GRB and hypernovae, based on Blandford-Znajek extraction of black-hole spin energy. Such a mechanism requires a high angular momentum in the progenitor object. The observed association of…
With nearly a hundred gravitational wave detections, the origin of black hole mergers has become a key question. Here, we focus on understanding the typical galactic environment in which binary black hole mergers arise. To this end, we…
We present 3D numerical simulations of the early evolution of long-duration gamma-ray bursts in the collapsar scenario. Starting from the core-collapse of a realistic progenitor model, we follow the formation and evolution of a central…
Recent observations of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) suggest that binary neutron star (NS) mergers can create highly magnetised, millisecond NSs. Sharp cut-offs in X-ray afterglow plateaus of some SGRBs hint at the gravitational collapse…
The merger of two neutron stars usually produces a remnant with a mass significantly above the single (nonrotating) neutron star maximum mass. In some cases, the remnant will be stabilized against collapse by rapid, differential rotation.…