An Extra Long X-Ray Plateau in a Gamma-Ray Burst and the Spinar Paradigm

Abstract

The recently discovered gamma-ray burst GRB 070110 displayed an extraordinary X-ray afterglow with Xray radiation-i.e., an X-ray plateau-observed for 20,000 s. We show that the observed properties of the plateau can be naturally interpreted in terms of the model with a spinar-a quasi-equilibrium collapsing object whose equilibrium is maintained by the balance of centrifugal and gravitational forces and whose evolution is determined by its magnetic field. If this model is true, then for 1 hr, the Swift X-ray telescopes recorded radiation from an object with a size smaller than the Schwarzschild radius!