skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: CAN GAMMA-RAY BURST JETS BREAK OUT THE FIRST STARS?

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal
 [1];  [2]
  1. Department of Physics, School of Science, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan)
  2. KEK Theory Center and the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (Sokendai), 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba 305-0801 (Japan)

We show that a relativistic gamma-ray burst (GRB) jet can potentially pierce the envelope of a very massive first generation star (Population III, hereafter Pop III) by using the stellar density profile to estimate both the jet luminosity (via accretion) and its penetrability. The jet breakout is possible even if the Pop III star has a supergiant hydrogen envelope without mass loss, thanks to the long-lived powerful accretion of the envelope itself. While the Pop III GRB is estimated to be energetic (E{sub {gamma},iso} {approx} 10{sup 55} erg), the supergiant envelope hides the initial bright phase in the cocoon component, leading to a GRB with a long duration {approx}1000(1 + z) s and an ordinary isotropic luminosity {approx}10{sup 52} erg s{sup -1} ({approx}10{sup -9} erg cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} at redshift z {approx} 20). The neutrino annihilation is not effective for Pop III GRBs because of a low central temperature, while the magnetic mechanism is viable. We also derive analytic estimates of the breakout conditions, which are applicable to various progenitor models. The GRB luminosity and duration are found to be very sensitive to the core and envelope mass, providing possible probes of the first luminous objects at the end of the high-redshift dark ages.

OSTI ID:
21567640
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 726, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/726/2/107; ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English