Related papers: Inverse-Compton drag on a Highly Magnetized GRB je…
Growing observational evidence supports the proposition that gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are powered by relativistic jets from massive helium stars whose cores have collapsed to black holes and an accretion disk (collapsars). We model the…
The gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) of long duration are very likely to be connected to the death of massive stars. The gamma-ray emission is believed to come from energy released internally in a flow that moves at ultrarelativistic speed. The fast…
After many years of speculation, recent observations have confirmed the association of gamma-ray bursts with core-collapse supernova explosions from massive stars. This association carries with it important consequences. The burst…
Astrophysical sources of relativistic jets or outflows, such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), active galactic nuclei (AGN) or micro-quasars, often show strong time variability. Despite such impulsive behavior, most models of these sources assume…
We consider a model in which the ultra-relativistic jet in a gamma-ray burst (GRB) is cold and magnetically accelerated. We assume that the energy flux in the outflowing material is partially thermalized via internal shocks or a reverse…
The high polarization observed in the prompt phase of some gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) arouses extensive studies on the emission mechanism. In this paper, we investigate the polarization properties of the synchrotron-self-Compton (SSC) process…
New two- and three-dimensional calculations are presented of relativistic jet propagation and break out in massive Wolf-Rayet stars. Such jets are thought responsible for gamma-ray bursts. As it erupts, the jet is surrounded by a cocoon of…
(Abridged) We consider the interaction of a relativistically-moving shell, composed of thermal photons, a reversing magnetic field and a small admixture of charged particles, with a dense Wolf-Rayet wind. A thin outer layer of Wolf-Rayet…
In the standard scenario of the fireball model of gamma-ray bursts(GRBs), the huge initial energy release produces a relativistic blast wave expanding into the external medium and a reverse shock moving into and heating the fireball ejecta.…
According to the collapsar model, gamma-ray bursts are thought to be produced in shocks that occur after the relativistic jet has broken free from the stellar envelope. If the mass density of the collimated outflow is less than that of the…
One of the key open question in the study of jets in general, and jets in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in particular, is the magnetization of the outflow. Here we consider the photospheric emission of Poynting flux dominated outflows, when the…
We study the dynamics of relativistic electromagnetic explosions as a possible mechanism for the production of Gamma-Ray Bursts. We propose that a rotating relativistic stellar-mass progenitor loses much of its spin energy in the form of an…
We calculate the spectra of inverse Compton (IC) emissions in gamma-ray burst (GRB) shocks produced when relativistic ejecta encounters the external interstellar medium, assuming a broken power-law approximation to the synchrotron seed…
Gamma-ray burst (GRB) prompt emission is commonly attributed to non-thermal radiation processes operating in the optically thin regions of a relativistic outflow. Among these, optically thin inverse-Compton (IC) scattering remains an…
Linear polarization have been observed in both the prompt phase and afterglow of some bright gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Polarization in the prompt phase spans a wide range, and may be as high as $\gtrsim 50\%$. In the afterglow phase,…
A leading mechanism for producing cosmological gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is via ultra-relativistic particles in an expanding fireball. The kinetic energy of the particles is converted into thermal energy in a forward shock and a reverse…
The Fermi satellite has been reporting the detailed temporal properties of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in an extremely broad spectral range, 8 keV - 300 GeV, in particular, the unexpected delays of the GeV emission onsets behind the MeV…
Shock breakout X-ray emission has been reported for the first time from a supernova connected with a gamma-ray burst, namely GRB060218/SN2006aj. The gamma-ray emission and the power-law decaying X-ray afterglow are ascribed to a highly…
(Abridged) We interpret gamma ray bursts as relativistic, electromagnetic explosions. Specifically, we propose that they are created when a rotating, relativistic, stellar-mass progenitor loses much of its rotational energy in the form of a…
The evolution of a dilute electron-positron fireball is calculated in the regime of strong magnetization and very high compactness (l ~10^3-10^8). Heating is applied at a low effective temperature (< 25 keV), and the fireball is allowed to…