Dimple, Gompertz, B.P. orcid.org/0000-0002-5826-0548, Levan, A.J. et al. (85 more authors) (2025) GRB 241105A: A test case for GRB classification and rapid r-process nucleosynthesis channels. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. staf1574. ISSN: 0035-8711
Abstract
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) offer a powerful window to probe the progenitor systems responsible for the formation of heavy elements through the rapid neutron capture (r-) process, thanks to their exceptional luminosity, which allows them to be observed across vast cosmic distances. GRB 241105A, observed at a redshift of z = 2.681, features a short initial spike (∼1.5 s) and a prolonged weak emission lasting about 64 s, positioning it as a candidate for a compact binary merger and potentially marking it as the most distant merger-driven GRB observed to date. However, the emerging ambiguity in GRB classification necessitates further investigation into the burst’s true nature. Prompt emission analyses, such as hardness ratio, spectral lag, and minimum variability timescales, yield mixed classifications, while machine learning-based clustering places GRB 241105A near both long-duration mergers and collapsar GRBs. We conducted observations using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to search for a potential supernova counterpart. Although no conclusive evidence was found for a supernova, the host galaxy’s properties derived from the JWST observations suggest active star formation with low metallicity, and a sub-kpc offset of the afterglow from the host, which appears broadly consistent with a collapsar origin. Nevertheless, a compact binary merger origin cannot be ruled out, as the burst may plausibly arise from a fast progenitor channel. This would have important implications for heavy element enrichment in the early Universe.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2025. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | gamma-ray bursts; gamma-ray burst: individual |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
Date Deposited: | 08 Oct 2025 13:19 |
Last Modified: | 08 Oct 2025 13:19 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press (OUP) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/mnras/staf1574 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:232698 |