Gamma-ray burst progenitors

Gamma-ray burst progenitors are stars or compact-object systems whose collapse or merger launches relativistic jets that produce gamma-ray bursts.

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Collapsar: A massive star’s core collapses into a black hole while infalling matter powers relativistic jets. This is the leading pathway from a massive star to a long-duration gamma-ray burst.
SN 1998bw: A broad-lined Type Ic supernova associated with the nearby gamma-ray burst GRB 980425. Its coincidence with a burst established a direct link between some long bursts and massive-star explosions.
Gamma-ray burst: A brief, intense flash of gamma rays from an astrophysical source, followed by emission at other wavelengths. Progenitor models explain the physical events behind this broader class of explosions.
Low-luminosity gamma-ray burst: A gamma-ray burst with unusually low apparent luminosity compared with classical bursts. Whether these events share ordinary collapsar progenitors or arise through distinct jet physics remains unsettled.
Binary neutron star merger: The coalescence of two neutron stars through gravitational-wave emission. Its compact remnant and accretion flow can power a short-duration burst.
GRB 030329: A bright, nearby long gamma-ray burst whose afterglow later revealed supernova SN 2003dh. It provided a clear second case connecting a long burst to a stripped-envelope supernova.
Long gamma-ray burst: A gamma-ray burst traditionally classified by prompt emission lasting more than about two seconds. Its association with stripped-envelope supernovae motivated massive-star collapse models.
Failed supernova: A massive star’s collapse that forms a compact remnant without producing a bright, successful supernova explosion. Some collapsing stars may launch weak or choked jets rather than observable classical bursts.
Neutron star–black hole merger: A compact-object merger in which a black hole tidally disrupts or swallows a neutron star. Tidal disruption can leave disk material capable of launching a burst-producing jet.
GW170817: A gravitational-wave signal from a binary neutron star merger observed in 2017. Its accompanying short burst tied at least some short gamma-ray bursts to neutron-star mergers.