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The central engine in long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is thought to be a compactobject produced by the core collapse of massive stars, but its exact nature(black hole or millisecond magnetar) is still debatable. Although the centralengine of GRB collapsars is hidden to direct observation, its properties may beimprinted on the accompanying electromagnetic signals. We aim to decipher thegeneric properties of central engines that are consistent with promptobservations of long GRBs detected by the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) on boardthe Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Adopting a generic model for the centralengine, in which the engine power and activity timescale are independent ofeach other, we perform Monte Carlo simulations of long GRBs produced by jetsthat successfully breakout from the star. Our simulations consider thedependence of the jet breakout timescale on the engine luminosity and theeffects of the detector's flux threshold. The two-dimensional (2D) distributionof simulated detectable bursts in the gamma-ray luminosity versus gamma-rayduration plane is consistent with the observed one for a range of parametervalues describing the central engine. The intrinsic 2D distribution ofsimulated collapsar GRBs peaks at lower gamma-ray luminosities and longerdurations than the observed one, a prediction that can be tested in the futurewith more sensitive detectors. Black-hole accretors, whose power and activitytime are set by the large-scale magnetic flux through the progenitor star andstellar structure, respectively, are compatible with the properties of thecentral engine inferred by our model.

Deciphering the properties of the central engine in GRB collapsars