A gamma-ray burst associated with a superluminous supernova

A gamma-ray burst associated with a superluminous supernova | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Physical Sciences - Article A gamma-ray burst associated with a superluminous supernova Andrew Levan, Nikhil Sarin, Agnes van Hoof, Luca Izzo, Daniele Malesani, and 15 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9506415/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) are the most energetic explosions known in nature. Both arise from the collapse of massive stars in low metallicity environments [1–4], and are likely driven to their extreme energetics by a black hole [5] or neutron star central engine [6, 7]. Their excep- tional brightness has enabled us to probe stellar death from the nearby to very distant Universe [8, 9]. However, the relationship, if any, between these two extreme populations has been unclear. Here we report observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) that uncover a superluminous supernova (SLSN) following a GRB (GRB 230818A) at z = 2.375. The supernova (SN) reaches a peak of MB ∼ −21 at around 50 rest-frame days and decays slowly. These observations clearly demonstrate that, at least in some cases, the same stellar collapse can drive both of the most extreme explosions in nature. A magnetar model cannot simultaneously explain both the GRB and supernova properties with consistent parameters for standard spin-down assumptions, but reasonable fits to the SN are found for both the radioactive power and circumstellar interaction. Phenomenologically, the SN is similar to SN 2007bi, suggested to be radioactively powered [10]. If GRB 230818A is radioactively powered, then massive core collapse can produce both a black hole and a very high ejecta and nickel mass. This would have substantial implica- tions for the study of SN and GRBs from first-generation stars, as well as for the production of the binary black hole population observed in gravitational waves. Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Astronomy and astrophysics/High-energy astrophysics Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Astronomy and astrophysics/Transient astrophysical phenomena High energy astrophysics:X-ray transient sources High energy astrophysics:Gamma-ray transient sources Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9506415","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Physical Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":632518445,"identity":"894ca920-31d6-4c88-95e8-944937bb3227","order_by":0,"name":"Andrew 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