A tidal disruption model for the gamma-ray burst of GRB 060614

Abstract

The combination of a long duration and the absence of any accompanying supernova clearly shows that GRB 060614 can not be grouped into the two conventional classes of gamma-ray bursts, i.e. the long/soft bursts deemed to be collapsars and the short/hard bursts deemed to be merging binary compact stars. A new progenitor model is required for this anomalous gamma-ray burst. We propose that GRB 060614 might be produced through the tidal disruption of a star by an intermediate mass black hole. In this scenario, the long duration and the lack of any associated supernova are naturally expected. The theoretical energy output is also consistent with observations. The observed 9-s periodicity in the $\gamma$-ray light curve of GRB 060614 can also be satisfactorily explained.

15 pages, ApJ in press

References in corpus (11)

• Long gamma-ray bursts and core-collapse supernovae have different environments
• Gamma-Ray Bursts: Progress, Problems & Prospects
• An optical supernova associated with the X-ray flash XRF 060218
• No supernovae associated with two long-duration gamma ray bursts
• Making a Short Gamma-Ray Burst from a Long one: Implications for the Nature of GRB 060614
• Swift observations of GRB 060614: an anomalous burst with a well behaved afterglow
• On the consistency of the peculiar GRBs 060218 and 060614 with the Ep,i - Eiso correlation
• Shock waves in tidally compressed stars by massive black holes
• Contribution of Stellar Tidal Disruptions to the X-Ray Luminosity Function of Active Galaxies
• Constraints on Galactic Intermediate Mass Black Holes
• Intermediate-mass black holes in dwarf galaxies: the case of Holmberg II

Cited by in corpus (9)

• NTT, Spitzer and Chandra spectroscopy of SDSSJ095209.56+214313.3: the most luminous coronal-line supernova ever observed, or a stellar tidal disruption event ?
• Frame-dragging, disk warping, jet precessing, and dipped X-ray lightcurve of Sw J1644+57
• Measuring the Hubble Constant with a sample of kilonovae
• Quasi-Periodic Variations in X-ray Emission and Long-Term Radio Observations: Evidence for a Two-Component Jet in Sw J1644+57
• Partial Tidal Disruption of Main-Sequence Stars by Intermediate-Mass Black Holes
• A new class of gamma-ray bursts from stellar disruptions by intermediate mass black holes
• Repeated partial disruptions in a WD-NS or WD-BH merger modulate the prompt emission of long-duration merger-type GRBs
• Dual Non-Abelian Yang-Mills Simulations in Four Dimensions
• Study of a Population of Gamma-ray Bursts with Low-Luminosity Afterglows