Luminosity and Variability of Collimated Gamma-ray Bursts

Abstract

Within the framework of the internal shock model, we study the luminosity and the variability in gamma-ray bursts from collimated fireballs. In particular we pay attention to the role of the photosphere due to $e^\pm$ pairs produced by internal shock synchrotron photons. It is shown that the observed Cepheid-like relationship between the luminosity and the variability can be interpreted as a correlation between the opening angle of the fireball jet and the mass included at the explosion with a standard energy output. We also show that such a correlation can be a natural consequence of the collapsar model. Using a multiple-shell model, we numerically calculate the temporal profiles of gamma-ray bursts. Collimated jets, in which the typical Lorentz factors are higher than in wide jets, can produce more variable temporal profiles due to smaller angular spreading time scales at the photosphere radius. Our simulations quantitatively reproduce the observed correlation.