The thermonuclear model for γ-ray bursts

TL;DRAbstract

The evolution of magnetized neutron stars with field strengths of ∼1012 gauss that are accreting mass onto kilometer‐sized polar regions at a rate of ∼10−13 M⊙ yr−1 is examined. Based on the results of one‐dimensional calculations, one finds that stable hydrogen burning, mediated by the ‘‘hot’’ CNO‐cycle, will lead to a critical helium mass in the range 1020 to 1022 g km−2. Owing to the extreme degeneracy of the electron gas providing pressure support, helium burning occurs as a violent thermonuclear runaway which may propagate either as a convective deflagration (Type I burst) or as a detonation wave (Type II burst). Complete combustion of helium into 56Ni releases from 1038 to 1040 erg km−2 and pushes hot plasma with β≳1 above the surface of the neutron star. Rapid expansion of the plasma channels a substantial fraction of the explosion energy into magnetic field stress. Spectral properties are expected to be complex with emission from both thermal and non‐thermal processes. The hard

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