The Collapse of Neutron Stars in High-Mass Binaries as the Energy Source for the Gamma-Ray Bursts

Abstract

The energy source has remained to be the great mystery in understanding of the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), if the events are placed at cosmological distances as indicated by a number of recent observations. The currently popular models include (1) the merger of two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole binary and (2) the hypernova scenario, i.e., the collapse of a massive member in a close binary. Since a neutron star will inevitably collapse into a black hole if its mass exceeds the limit M max ≈ 3 M ⊙ , releasing a total binding gravitational energy of ∼10 54 ergs, we explore semiempirically the possibility of attributing the energy source of GRBs to the accretion-induced collapse of a neutron star (AICNS) in a massive X-ray binary system consisting of a neutron star and a type O/B companion. This happens because a significant mass flow of ∼10 -3 -10 -4 M ⊙ yr -1 may be transferred onto the neutron star through the Roche-lobe overflow and primarily during the spiralin phase when it plunges into the envelope of the companion, which may eventually lead to the AICNS before the neutron star merges with the core of the companion. In this scenario, a "dirty" fireball with a moderate amount of beaming is naturally expected because of the nonuniformity of the stellar matter surrounding the explosion inside the companion, and a small fraction (∼0.1%) of the energy is sufficient to create the observed GRBs. In addition, the bulk of the ejecting matter of the companion star with a relatively slow expansion rate may act as the afterglow. Assuming a nonevolutionary model for galaxies, we estimate that the birthrate of the AICNS events is about two per day within a volume to redshift z = 1 for an Ω 0 = 1 universe, consistent with the reported GRB rate. It appears that the AICNS scenario, as a result of stellar evolution, may provide a natural explanation for the origin of GRBs and therefore deserves to be further investigated in the theoretical study of GRBs. © 1998. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.