A long-duration gamma-ray burst with a peculiar origin

Jun Yang, Shunke Ai, Bin-Bin Zhang (), Bing Zhang (), Zi-Ke Liu, Xiangyu Ivy Wang, Yu-Han Yang, Yi-Han Yin, Ye Li and Hou-Jun Lü
Additional contact information
Jun Yang: Nanjing University
Shunke Ai: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Bin-Bin Zhang: Nanjing University
Bing Zhang: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Zi-Ke Liu: Nanjing University
Xiangyu Ivy Wang: Nanjing University
Yu-Han Yang: Nanjing University
Yi-Han Yin: Nanjing University
Ye Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hou-Jun Lü: Guangxi University

Nature, 2022, vol. 612, issue 7939, 232-235

Abstract: Abstract It is generally believed that long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are associated with massive star core collapse1, whereas short-duration GRBs are associated with mergers of compact star binaries2. However, growing observations3–6 have suggested that oddball GRBs do exist, and several criteria (prompt emission properties, supernova/kilonova associations and host galaxy properties) rather than burst duration only are needed to classify GRBs physically7. A previously reported long-duration burst, GRB 060614 (ref. 3), could be viewed as a short GRB with extended emission if it were observed at a larger distance8 and was associated with a kilonova-like feature9. As a result, it belongs to the type I (compact star merger) GRB category and is probably of binary neutron star (NS) merger origin. Here we report a peculiar long-duration burst, GRB 211211A, whose prompt emission properties in many aspects differ from all known type I GRBs, yet its multiband observations suggest a non-massive-star origin. In particular, substantial excess emission in both optical and near-infrared wavelengths has been discovered (see also ref. 10), which resembles kilonova emission, as observed in some type I GRBs. These observations point towards a new progenitor type of GRBs. A scenario invoking a white dwarf (WD)–NS merger with a post-merger magnetar engine provides a self-consistent interpretation for all the observations, including prompt gamma rays, early X-ray afterglow, as well as the engine-fed11,12 kilonova emission.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05403-8

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