Paper detail

Calorimetry of gamma-ray bursts: echos in gravitational waves

Black holes surrounded by a disk or torus may drive the enigmatic cosmological gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Equivalence in poloidal topology to pulsar magnetospheres shows a high incidence of the black hole-luminosity $L_H$ into the surrounding magnetized matter. We argue that this emission is re-radiated into gravitational waves at $L_{GW}\simeq L_H/3$ in frequencies of order 1kHz, winds and, potentially, MeV neutrinos. The total energy budget and input to the GRB from baryon poor jets are expected to be standard in this scenario, consistent with recent analysis of afterglow data. Collimation of these outflows by baryon rich disk or torus winds may account for the observed spread in opening angles up to about $35^o$. This model may be tested by future LIGO/VIRGO observations.