Explaining the light curves of gamma-ray bursts with a precessing jet

¹ Boston University, Department of Astronomy 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, U.S.A.
² Department of Information Science and Graphics, College of Arts and Science, University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153, Japan
³ Department of Physics and Astronomy, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, U.S.A.
⁴ Department of Physics, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Korea

Send offprint request to: S.F. Portegies Zwart

Received: 21 January 1999
Accepted: 17 March 1999

Abstract

A phenomenological model is presented to explain the light curves of gamma-ray bursts. Gamma-rays are produced in a narrow beam which sweeps through space due to the precession of a slaved accretion disc. The light curve expected from such a precessing luminosity cone can explain the complex temporal behavior of bright gamma-ray bursts.