Related papers: A Tale of Two Jets: Double Relativistic Outflows f…
Motivated by GW170817 we examine constraints that observations put on the angular structure of long gamma-ray burst (GRB) jets. First, the relatively narrow observed distribution of $E_{X}/E_{\gamma}$ (the isotropic equivalent early X-ray…
Recent observations indicate that stripped-envelope core-collapse supernovae are often surrounded by dense circumstellar material (CSM). Motivated by this, we develop an analytic model to systematically study the dynamics of long gamma-ray…
The observations of jet breaks in the afterglows of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) indicate that the jet has a small opening angle of < 10{\deg}. The collimation mechanism of the jet is a longstanding theoretical problem. We numerically…
I discuss here the progress made in the last decade on few of the key open problems in GRB physics. These include: (1) the nature of GRB progenitors, and the outliers found to the collapsar/merger scenarios; (2) Jet structures, whose…
Relativistic jets launched in binary neutron star (BNS) mergers are widely accepted as the engines powering most of the population of short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Understanding their structure and dynamics-particularly during and after…
For over 25 years, the origin of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (lGRBs) has been linked to the collapse of rotating massive stars. However, we have yet to pinpoint the stellar progenitor powering these transients. Moreover, the dominant…
The stellar origin of gamma-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 magnetised stellar core that collapses into…
The masses of compact objects like white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes are fundamental to astrophysics, but very difficult to measure. We present the results of an analysis of subluminous B (sdB) stars in close binary systems with…
Jet opening angles of long gamma-ray bursts (lGRBs) appear to evolve in cosmic time, with lGRBs at higher redshifts being on average more narrowly beamed than those at lower redshifts. We examine the nature of this anti-correlation in the…
Wide black hole binaries (wide-BBHs; $\geqslant 10^3$ AU) in the field can be perturbed by random stellar flybys that excite their eccentricities. Once a wide binary is driven to a sufficiently small pericenter approach, gravitational wave…
We demonstrate that the steep decay and long plateau in the early phases of gamma ray burst (GRB) X-ray afterglows are naturally produced in the collapsar model, by a means ultimately related to the dynamics of relativistic jet propagation…
We investigate by two-dimensional axisymmetric relativistic hydrodynamical simulations (1) jet propagations through an envelope of a rapidly rotating and collapsing massive star, which is supposed to be a progenitor of long duration gamma…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are fascinating extragalactic objects. They represent a fantastic opportunity to investigate unique properties not exhibited in other sources. Multi-wavelength afterglow observations from some short- and…
The energy dissipation mechanism within Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) outflows, driving their extremely luminous prompt $\gamma$-ray emission is still uncertain. The leading candidates are internal shocks and magnetic reconnection. While the…
Gamma-ray burst (GRB) central engines and jet production mechanisms are still open questions. Assuming that the shallow decay segments of canonical X-ray afterglow lightcurves of {\em Swift} GRBs are attributed to the magnetic dipole (MD)…
Blast wave models are commonly used to model relativistic outflows from ultra-relativistic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), but are also applied to lower Lorentz factor ejections from X-ray binaries (XRBs). Here we revisit the physics of blast…
Short gamma ray bursts are presumably results of binary neutron star mergers, which lead to the formation of a stellar mass black hole, surrounded by a remnant matter. The strong magnetic fields help collimate jets of plasma, launched along…
The repointing time of the XRT instrument on the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory satellite has posed challenges in observing and studying the early X-ray emissions within $\approx40$ s after a gamma-ray burst (GRB) trigger. To address this…
Blackbody-dominated (BBD) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are events characterized by long durations and the presence of a significant thermal component following the prompt emission, as well as by the absence of a typical afterglow. GRB 101225A is…
We have studied the relativistic beamed outflow proposed to occur in the collapsar model of gamma-ray bursts. A jet forms as a consequence of an assumed energy deposition of $\sim 10^{50}- 10^{51}$ erg/s within a $30^{\circ}$ cone around…