Microquasars and ULXs: Fossils of GRB Sources

Abstract

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) of long duration probably result from the core-collapse of massive stars in binary systems. After the collapse of the primary star the binary system may remain bound leaving a microquasar or ULX source as remnant. In this context, microquasars and ULXs are fossils of GRB sources and should contain physical and astrophysical clues on GRB-source progenitors. The identification of the birth place of microquasars and magnetars can provide constrains on the progenitor stars of the compact objects, and the runaway velocities can be used to constrain the energy in the explosion of massive stars that leave neutron stars and black holes. The observations show that the neutron star binaries LS 5039, LSI +61 303 and the low-mass black hole in GRO J1655-40 formed in energetic supernova explosions, whereas the black holes of larger masses (M > 10 Msolar) in Cygnus X-1 and GRS 1915+105 formed promptly or in underluminous supernovae. If the massive star formation in the parent clusters of the microquasar LSI +61 303 and magnetars SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 was coeval, very massive stars (M > 50 Msolar) may in some cases leave neutron stars rather than black holes. The models of GRB sources of long duration have the same basic ingredients as microquasars and ULXs: compact objects with accretion disks and relativistic jets in binary systems. Therefore, the analogies between microquasars and AGN may be extended to the sources of GRBs.