美国西北大学Jillian C. Rastinejad团队在研究中取得进展。他们的最新研究提出了在350 Mpc的长时间伽马射线爆发后的千新星。相关论文于2022年12月7日发表于国际顶尖学术期刊《自然》杂志上。

研究团队报告发现可能与附近（350Mpc）、持续时间为一分钟的GRB 211211A相关的千新星，表明其前体是致密星体合并物，而合并事件会产生长时间的复杂光曲线。而GRB 211211A千新星的广度、持续时长以及颜色都类似于伴随双中子星合并事件GW170817引力波而产生的特征。进一步寻找与长GRBs相吻合的GW信号是未来多信使天文学的一个有前途的途径。

据了解，伽玛射线暴(GRBs)被分为两个种群：衍生自大质量恒星内核塌缩的长时间GRBs，以及两颗致密星体合并形成的短暂GRBs。尽管通常以2s的伽马射线持续时间来划分这两个群体，但基于持续时间的分类并不总是能映射到原生体。

值得注意的是，有的GRBs具有短时间（2s）的快速伽马射线发射峰值，然后是长时间的、光谱较弱的扩展发射（EE-SGRBs），被认为是来自致密天体的合并。致密天体合并具有重要的天体物理学意义，它是唯一确认的快中子俘获(r过程)核合成的地点，以所谓的千新星的形式观测到。

附：英文原文

Title: A kilonova following a long-duration gamma-ray burst at 350 Mpc

Author: Rastinejad, Jillian C., Gompertz, Benjamin P., Levan, Andrew J., Fong, Wen-fai, Nicholl, Matt, Lamb, Gavin P., Malesani, Daniele B., Nugent, Anya E., Oates, Samantha R., Tanvir, Nial R., de Ugarte Postigo, Antonio, Kilpatrick, Charles D., Moore, Christopher J., Metzger, Brian D., Ravasio, Maria Edvige, Rossi, Andrea, Schroeder, Genevieve, Jencson, Jacob, Sand, David J., Smith, Nathan, Fernndez, Jos Feliciano Ag, Berger, Edo, Blanchard, Peter K., Chornock, Ryan, Cobb, Bethany E., De Pasquale, Massimiliano, Fynbo, Johan P. U., Izzo, Luca, Kann, D. Alexander, Laskar, Tanmoy, Marini, Ester, Paterson, Kerry, Escorial, Alicia Rouco, Sears, Huei M., Thne, Christina C.

Issue&Volume: 2022-12-07

Abstract: Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are divided into two populations1,2; long GRBs that derive from the core collapse of massive stars (for example, ref.3) and short GRBs that form in the merger of two compact objects4,5. Although it is common to divide the two populations at a gamma-ray duration of 2s, classification based on duration does not always map to the progenitor. Notably, GRBs with short (2s) spikes of prompt gamma-ray emission followed by prolonged, spectrally softer extended emission (EE-SGRBs) have been suggested to arise from compact object mergers6,7,8. Compact object mergers are of great astrophysical importance as the only confirmed site of rapid neutron capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis, observed in the form of so-called kilonovae9,10,11,12,13,14. Here we report the discovery of a possible kilonova associated with the nearby (350Mpc), minute-duration GRB 211211A. The kilonova implies that the progenitor is a compact object merger, suggesting that GRBs with long, complex light curves can be spawned from merger events. The kilonova of GRB 211211A has a similar luminosity, duration and colour to that which accompanied the gravitational wave (GW)-detected binary neutron star (BNS) merger GW170817 (ref.4). Further searches for GW signals coincident with long GRBs are a promising route for future multi-messenger astronomy.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05390-w

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05390-w