Erratum: On the existence of a luminosity threshold of GRB jets in massive stars

On the existence of a luminosity threshold of GRB jets in massive stars

Motivated by the many associations of $\gamma$-ray bursts (GRBs) with energetic supernova (SN) explosions, we study the propagation of relativistic jets within the progenitor star in which a SN shock wave may be launched briefly before the jets start to propagate. Based on analytic considerations and verified with an extensive set of 2D axisymmetric relativistic hydrodynamic simulations, we have estimated a threshold intrinsic jet luminosity, $L_{\rm j}^{\rm thr}$, for successfully launching a jet. This threshold depends on the structure of the progenitor and, thus, it is sensible to its mass and to its metallicity. For a prototype host of cosmological long GRBs, a low-metallicity star of 3…

Numerical models of blackbody-dominated gamma-ray bursts -- II. Emission properties

Blackbody-dominated (BBD) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are events characterized by long durations and the presence of a significant thermal component following the prompt emission, as well as by the absence of a typical afterglow. GRB 101225A is the most prominent member of this class. A plausible progenitor system for it and for BBD-GRBs is the merger a neutron star and a helium core of an evolved, massive star. Using relativistic hydrodynamic simulations we model the propagation of ultrarelativistic jets through the environments created by such mergers. In a previous paper we showed that the thermal emission in BBD-GRBs is linked to the interaction of an ultrarelativistic jet with the ejected …

Numerical models of blackbody-dominated gamma-ray bursts – I. Hydrodynamics and the origin of the thermal emission

GRB 101225A is a prototype of the class of blackbody-dominated (BBD) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). It has been suggested that BBD-GRBs result from the merger of a binary system formed by a neutron star and the helium core of an evolved star. We have modelled the propagation of ultrarelativistic jets through the environment left behind the merger by means of relativistic hydrodynamic simulations. In this paper, the output of our numerical models is post-processed to obtain the (thermal) radiative signature of the resulting outflow. We outline the most relevant dynamical details of the jet propagation and connect them to the generation of thermal radiation in GRB events akin to that of GRB 101225A…

Multi-wavelength mock observations of the WHIM in a simulated galaxy cluster

About half of the expected total baryon budget in the local Universe is `missing'. Hydrodynamical simulations suggest that most of the missing baryons are located in a mildly overdense, warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM), which is difficult to be detected at most wavelengths. In this paper we explore multi-wavelength synthetic observations of a massive galaxy cluster developed in a full Eulerian-AMR cosmological simulation. A novel numerical procedure is applied on the outputs of the simulation, which are post-processed with a full-radiative transfer code that allows to compute the change of the intensity at any frequency along the null-geodesic of photons. We compare the emission from th…

Numerical Models of Blackbody-Dominated GRBs

Blackbody-dominated (BBD) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are events characterized by the absence of a typical afterglow, long durations and the presence of a significant thermal component following the prompt gamma-ray emission. GRB 101225A (the `Christmas burst') is a prototype of this class. A plausible progenitor system for it, and for the BBD-GRBs, is the merger of a neutron star (NS) and a helium core of an evolved, massive star. Using relativistic hydrodynamic simulations we model the propagation of an ultrarelativistic jet through the enviroment created by such a merger and we compute the whole radiative signature, both thermal and non-thermal, of the jet dynamical evolution. We find that t…