GRB 230307A formed no dust or was not a binary neutron-star merger
GRB 230307A:未形成尘埃或不是双中子星并合
We present a new analysis of the James Webb Space Telescope infrared (IR) spectra of GRB 230307A(AT 2023vfi), a long gamma-ray burst (GRB) with an IR excess and spectral lines suggestive of significant heavy r-process production. The spectra, taken 29 and 61 d after the GRB trigger, have blackbody-like continua with <inline-formula><tex-math>$T_{\rm eff} \approx 550$</tex-math></inline-formula> K and an emission line near 2.1 μm, previously attributed to [Te 3]. This line identification has been used as evidence for an r-process-powered kilonova (KN), despite no KN model producing a blackbody-like spectrum at late times. Such an IR continuum could be emitted by newly formed dust, and we model the thermal emission to infer dust properties, including composition and mass. We find that the emission requires at least 3─<inline-formula><tex-math>$6 \times 10^{-3}$</tex-math></inline-formula> M<inline-formula><tex-math>$_{\odot }$</tex-math></inline-formula> of carbon or silicate dust, which is inconsistent with r-process yields expected from a neutron-star merger. Alternatively, the continuum could be from <inline-formula><tex-math>$2\times 10^{-3}$</tex-math></inline-formula> M<inline-formula><tex-math>$_{\odot }$</tex-math></inline-formula> of metallic iron dust, which is mildly consistent (at 3<inline-formula><tex-math>$\sigma$</tex-math></inline-formula>) with KN models, but such dust is unlikely to form in the expanding ejecta. GRB 230307A's low late-time luminosity also constrains the amount of radioactive <inline-formula><tex-math>$^{56}$</tex-math></inline-formula>Ni produced to <<inline-formula><tex-math>$6.3 \times 10^{-2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> M<inline-formula><tex-math>$_{\odot }$</tex-math></inline-formula> (3<inline-formula><tex-math>$\sigma$</tex-math></inline-formula>). No KN model can simultaneously form the necessary dust for the IR continuum and heavy elements for the [Te 3] line. We conclude that the blackbody continuum is not due to dust emission, or GRB 230307A did not originate from a binary compact-object merger.
展开 ▾首次对 GRB 晚期 JWST 光谱进行多组分尘埃拟合,定量揭示尘埃质量与核合成产额之间的数量级矛盾,并探讨了铁尘、预存在尘埃等替代方案,挑战了基于 [Te III] 线的千新星主流解释。
GRB 230307A 作为首个获得 JWST 中红外晚期光谱的长伽马暴,其类黑体红外连续谱和 [Te III] 发射线被 Levan+ 2024 和 Yang+ 2024 解释为双中子星并合产生的千新星和 r-过程证据。然而,千新星理论模型(如 Hotokezaka+ 2021 )表明此时段应为光学薄、线谱主导,难以形成光滑连续谱,促使学界考虑尘埃辐射的可能。此前 Takami+ 2014 和 Gall+ 2017 已指出并合抛射物中形成尘埃的质量和时标面临严峻挑战,而 Waxman+ 2025 则提出预存在尘埃被伽马暴加热的图景。本文通过对比尘埃模型与 Lippuner+ 2017 的 SkyNet 及 Anand+ 2023 的 POSSIS 核合成产额,首次定量给出尘埃质量与轻元素丰度间的矛盾,从而对并合起源提出质疑。未来多历元、更远红外波段的追踪观测将直接区分尘埃生长和千新星谱演化,并推动白矮星-中子星并合等替代前身星模型的核合成与尘埃形成研究。
预印本 2025-10-17 · 刊出 2026-07-16 · 收录 2026-07-22