Gravitational collapse of a spherical star with heat flow as a possible energy mechanism of gamma-ray bursts
Abstract
We investigate the gravitational collapse of a spherically symmetric, inhomogeneous star, which is described by a perfect fluid with heat flow and satisfies the equation of state p=/3 at its center. In the process of the gravitational collapsing, the energy of the whole star is emitted into space. And the remaining spacetime is a Minkowski one without a remnant at the end of the process. For a star with a solar mass and solar radius, the total energy emitted is at the order of 1054 erg, and the time-scale of the process is about 8s. These are in the typical values for a gamma-ray burst. Thus, we suggest the gravitational collapse of a spherical star with heat flow as a possible energy mechanism of gamma-ray bursts.
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