Constraints on Type Ib/c and GRB Progenitors

Although there is strong support for the collapsar engine as the power source of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), we still do not definitively know the progenitor of these explosions. Here we review the current set of progenitor scenarios for long-duration GRBs and the observational constraint...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fryer, C, Mazzali, P, Prochaska, J, Cappellaro, E, Panaitescu, A, Berger, E, Putten, M, Heuvel, E, Young, P, Hungerford, A, Rockefeller, G, Yoon, S, Podsiadlowski, P, Nomoto, K, Chevalier, R, Schmidt, B, Kulkarni, S
Format: Journal article
Published: IOP Publishing 2007
Description
Summary:Although there is strong support for the collapsar engine as the power source of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), we still do not definitively know the progenitor of these explosions. Here we review the current set of progenitor scenarios for long-duration GRBs and the observational constraints on these scenarios. Examining these, we find that single-star models cannot be the only progenitor for long-duration GRBs. Several binary progenitors can match the solid observational constraints and also have the potential to match the trends we are currently seeing in the observations. Type Ib/c supernovae are also likely to be produced primarily in binaries; we discuss the relationship between the progenitors of these explosions and those of the long-duration GRBs.