Related papers: Theory of GRB Afterglow
Sharp breaks have been observed in the afterglow light curves of several GRBs; this is generally explained by the jet model. However, there are still some uncertainties concerning this interpretation due to the unclear hydrodynamics of jet…
Based on a refined generic dynamical model, we investigate afterglows from jetted gamma-ray burst (GRB) remnants numerically. In the relativistic phase, the light curve break could marginally be seen. However, an obvious break does exist at…
We discuss jet dynamics for narrow and wide gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow jets and the observational implications of numerical simulations of relativistic jets in two dimensions. We confirm earlier numerical results that sideways…
The origin of GRBs have been a mystery for almost 30 years. The afterglow observed in the last few years enabled redshift determination for a handful of bursts, and the cosmological origin is now firmly established. Though the distance…
Synchrotron and inverse Compton emission successfully explain the observed spectra of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows. It is thought that most GRBs are products of extremely relativistic outflows and the afterglow marks the interaction of…
GRB afterglow jets have been notoriously difficult to resolve numerically using 2D hydrodynamical simulations due to high outflow Lorentz factors. By performing simulations in a boosted frame, it is possible to calculate light curves from…
I discuss some theoretical expectations for the synchrotron emission from a relativistic blast-wave interacting with the ambient medium, as a model for GRB afterglows, and compare them with observations. An afterglow flux evolving as a…
The dynamics of GRB jets during the afterglow phase is most reliably and accurately modelled using hydrodynamic simulations. All published simulations, however, have considered only a uniform external medium, while a stratified external…
The steepening (break) of the power-law fall-off observed in the optical emission of some GRB afterglows at epoch ~1 day is often attributed to a collimated outflow (jet), undergoing lateral spreading. Wider opening GRB ejecta with a…
We investigate the effect that the structure of GRB jets has on the afterglow light curves for observers located at different viewing angles, $\theta_{obs}$, from the jet symmetry axis. The largest uncertainty in the jet dynamics is the…
Gamma-ray burst (GRB) jets are narrow, and thus typically point away from us. They are initially ultra-relativistic, causing their prompt $\gamma$-ray and early afterglow emission to be beamed away from us. However, as the jet gradually…
It has been recently proposed that current burst and afterglow observations can be accounted for by a top hat jet structure as well as by a more universal structured outflow, in which the energy carried by the flow is maximum at the jet…
Beaming of relativistic ejecta in GRBs has been postulated by many authors in order to reduce the total GRB energy, thus it is very important to look for the observational evidence of beaming. Rhoads (1999) has pointed out that the dynamics…
Gamma-ray bursts and their afterglows are thought to be produced by an ultrarelativistic jet. One of the most important open questions is the outflow composition: the energy may be carried out from the central source either as kinetic…
I review the main observational achievements concerning GRB optical afterglows occurred in the past two years. Their emission seems to be well interpreted in terms of the `fireball' model, although a variety of behaviours are observed.…
The afterglow emission has become the main stream of Gamma-Ray burst research since its discovery three years ago. With the distance-scale enigma solved, the study of the late-time GRB emission is now the most promising approach to disclose…
Jet breaks in gamma ray burst (GRB) afterglows provide a direct probe of their collimation angle. Modeling a jet break requires an understanding of the "jet spreading" process, whereby the jet transitions from a collimated outflow into the…
The afterglow emission that follows gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) contains valuable information about the circumburst medium and, therefore, about the GRB progenitor. Theoretical studies of GRB blast waves, however, are often limited to simple…
The afterglow emission from a spreading jet expanding in a circumstellar cloud is discussed. Prompt X-ray radiation and a strong UV flash from the reverse shock produced by the interaction of the jet with the cloud may destroy and clear the…
A GRB afterglow has been commonly thought to be due to continuous deceleration of a postburst fireball. Many analytical models have made simplifications for deceleration dynamics of the fireball and its radiation property, although they are…