Abstract
An unusually long burst of γ-rays zapped Earth in December 2011, lasting 4 hours. The cause of this burst is now proposed to be a peculiar supernova produced by a spinning magnetic neutron star. See Letter p.189 This paper reports that supernova SN 2011kl was associated with the ultra-long-duration γ-ray burst GRB 111209A at z = 0.677, adding support to the recent suggestion of a new class of ultra-long-duration (longer than 10,000 seconds) γ-ray bursts. SN 2011kl was more luminous than type Ic supernovae associated with long γ-ray bursts and its spectrum is distinctly different, with a low metal-line opacity. Its properties are best represented by a model in which extra energy is injected by a strongly magnetized neutron star (a magnetar), a type of object that has also been proposed as the explanation for super-luminous supernovae.
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