The unusual γ-ray burst GRB 101225A from a helium star/neutron star merger at redshift 0.33

C. C. Thöne (), A. de Ugarte Postigo, C. L. Fryer, K. L. Page, J. Gorosabel, M. A. Aloy, D. A. Perley, C. Kouveliotou, H. T. Janka, P. Mimica, J. L. Racusin, H. Krimm, J. Cummings, S. R. Oates, S. T. Holland, M. H. Siegel, M. De Pasquale, E. Sonbas, M. Im, W.-K. Park, D. A. Kann, S. Guziy, L. Hernández García, A. Llorente, K. Bundy, C. Choi, H. Jeong, H. Korhonen, P. Kubànek, J. Lim, A. Moskvitin, T. Muñoz-Darias, S. Pak and I. Parrish
Additional contact information
C. C. Thöne: IAA – CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain
A. de Ugarte Postigo: Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
C. L. Fryer: Los Alamos National Laboratory, MS D409, CCS-2, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
K. L. Page: University of Leicester, University Road
J. Gorosabel: IAA – CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain
M. A. Aloy: Universidad de Valencia, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
D. A. Perley: UC Berkeley, 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
C. Kouveliotou: Science and Technology Office, ZP12, NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama 35812, USA
H. T. Janka: Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
P. Mimica: Universidad de Valencia, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
J. L. Racusin: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
H. Krimm: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
J. Cummings: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
S. R. Oates: Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK
S. T. Holland: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
M. H. Siegel: Pennsylvania State University, 104 Davey Laboratory, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
M. De Pasquale: Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK
E. Sonbas: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
M. Im: Center for the Exploration of the Origin of the Universe, Seoul National University, 56-1 San, Shillim-dong, Kwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
W.-K. Park: Center for the Exploration of the Origin of the Universe, Seoul National University, 56-1 San, Shillim-dong, Kwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
D. A. Kann: Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg, Sternwarte 5, 07778 Tautenburg, Germany
S. Guziy: IAA – CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain
L. Hernández García: IAA – CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain
A. Llorente: Herschel Science Operations Centre, INSA, ESAC, Villafranca del CastilloPO Box 50727, I-28080 Madrid, Spain
K. Bundy: UC Berkeley, 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
C. Choi: Center for the Exploration of the Origin of the Universe, Seoul National University, 56-1 San, Shillim-dong, Kwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
H. Jeong: School of Space Research, Kyung Hee University, 1 Seocheon-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701, South Korea
H. Korhonen: Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO (FINCA), University of Turku, Väisäläntie 20, 21500 Piikkiö, Finland
P. Kubànek: IAA – CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain
J. Lim: Kyung Hee University, 1 Seocheon-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701, Korea
A. Moskvitin: Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhnij Arkhyz 369167, Russia
T. Muñoz-Darias: INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via E. Bianchi 46, 23807 Merate, Italy
S. Pak: School of Space Research, Kyung Hee University, 1 Seocheon-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701, South Korea
I. Parrish: UC Berkeley, 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, California 94720, USA

Nature, 2011, vol. 480, issue 7375, 72-74

Abstract: Abstract Long γ-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most dramatic examples of massive stellar deaths, often associated with supernovae1. They release ultra-relativistic jets, which produce non-thermal emission through synchrotron radiation as they interact with the surrounding medium2. Here we report observations of the unusual GRB 101225A. Its γ-ray emission was exceptionally long-lived and was followed by a bright X-ray transient with a hot thermal component and an unusual optical counterpart. During the first 10 days, the optical emission evolved as an expanding, cooling black body, after which an additional component, consistent with a faint supernova, emerged. We estimate its redshift to be z = 0.33 by fitting the spectral-energy distribution and light curve of the optical emission with a GRB-supernova template. Deep optical observations may have revealed a faint, unresolved host galaxy. Our proposed progenitor is a merger of a helium star with a neutron star that underwent a common envelope phase, expelling its hydrogen envelope. The resulting explosion created a GRB-like jet which became thermalized by interacting with the dense, previously ejected material, thus creating the observed black body, until finally the emission from the supernova dominated. An alternative explanation is a minor body falling onto a neutron star in the Galaxy3.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature10611

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