The association of GRB 060218 with a supernova and the evolution of the shock wave
Abstract
Although the link between long γ-ray bursts (GRBs) and supernovae has been established, hitherto there have been no observations of the beginning of a supernova explosion and its intimate link to a GRB. In particular, we do not know how the jet that defines a γ-ray burst emerges from the star's surface, nor how a GRB progenitor explodes. Here we report observations of the relatively nearby GRB 060218 (ref. 5) and its connection to supernova SN 2006aj (ref. 6). In addition to the classical non-thermal emission, GRB 060218 shows a thermal component in its X-ray spectrum, which cools and shifts into the optical/ultraviolet band as time passes. We interpret these features as arising from the break-out of a shock wave driven by a mildly relativistic shell into the dense wind surrounding the progenitor. We have caught a supernova in the act of exploding, directly observing the shock break-out, which indicates that the GRB progenitor was a Wolf-Rayet star.
- Publication:
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Nature
- Pub Date:
- August 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1038/nature04892
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0603279
- Bibcode:
- 2006Natur.442.1008C
- Keywords:
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- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 12 pages, 3 color figures (final version). Accepted for publication in Nature