Very high-energy neutrinos from slowly decaying, massive dark matter, as a source of explosive energy for gamma-ray bursts

Abstract

We consider a speculative model for gamma-ray bursts (GRB), which predicts that the total kinetic energy in the ejected matter is less than the total energy in the gamma rays. There is also secondary energy in X-rays, which are emitted contemporaneously with the gamma rays. The model suggests that bremsstrahlung and Compton up-scattering by very energetic electrons, are important processes for producing the observed burst radiation. The dynamics naturally allows for the possibility of a moderate degree of beaming of matter and radiation in some gamma-ray bursts. GRB are predicted to have an intrinsically wide distribution in total energies, in particular, on the low side. They are predicted to occur out to large red-shifts, z~8, in local regions of dense matter.