A Common Envelope Binary Star Origin of Long Gamma-ray Bursts

The stellar origin of γ-ray bursts can be explained by the rapid release of energy in a highly collimated, extremely relativistic jet. This in turn appears to require a rapidly spinning highly magnetized stellar core that collapses into a magnetic neutron star or a black hole within a relatively massive envelope. They appear to be associated with Type Ib/c supernovae but, with a birth rate of arou...