Exploring the Properties of Choked Gamma-ray Bursts with IceCube’s High-energy Neutrinos

Abstract

Long duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have often been considered the natural evolution of some core-collapse supernova (CCSN) progenitors. However, the fraction of CCSNe linked to astrophysical jets and their properties are still poorly constrained. While any successful astrophysical jet harbored in a CCSN should produce high-energy neutrinos, photons may be able to successfully escape the stellar envelope only for a fraction of progenitors, possibly leading to the existence of high-luminosity, low-luminosity, and not-electromagnetically bright (“choked”) GRBs. By postulating a CCSN–GRB connection, we accurately model the jet physics within the internal-shock GRB model and assume scaling relations for the GRB parameters that depend on the Lorentz boost factor Γ. The IceCube high-energy neutrino flux is then employed as an upper limit of the neutrino background from electromagnetically bright and choked GRBs to constrain the jet and the progenitor properties. The current IceCube data set is compatible with up to 1% of all CCSNe harboring astrophysical jets. Interestingly, those jets are predominantly choked. Our findings suggest that neutrinos can be powerful probes of the burst physics and can provide major insights on the CCSN–GRB connection.