Related papers: Polarization and light curve variability: the "pat…
We report multi-color optical imaging and polarimetry observations of the afterglow of the first TeV- detected gamma-ray burst, GRB 190114C, using RINGO3 and MASTER II polarimeters. Observations begin 31 s after the onset of the GRB and…
Following a BeppoSAX alert (Piro 1999a) and the discovery of the OT at SAAO (Vreeswijk et al. 1999a), we observed GRB 990510 with the FORS instrument on ESO's VLT Unit 1 (`Antu'). The burst is unremarkable in gamma rays, but in optical is…
Wind-interaction models for gamma-ray burst afterglows predict that the optical emission from the reverse shock drops below that from the forward shock within 100s of seconds of the burst. The typical frequency $\nu_m$ of the synchrotron…
The quasi-symmetric shape of the lightcurves, as seen in the X-rays and in the optical, together with the fast variations of the flux observed, suggest that the cooling time for the highest energy electrons may be shorter than the light…
X-ray flashes (XRFs) and X-ray rich gamma-ray bursts (XRGRBs) share many observational characteristics with long duration GRBs, but the reason for which their prompt emission peaks at lower photon energies, $E_p$, is still under debate.…
In gamma-ray burst research it is quite common to fit the afterglow light curves with a broken power law to interpret the data. We apply this method to a computer simulated population of afterglows and find systematic differences between…
We present high time resolution (1.09 s) photometry of GRB 080210 obtained with ULTRASPEC mounted on the ESO/3.6-m telescope, starting 68.22 min after the burst and lasting for 26.45 min. The light curve is smooth on both short (down to…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) show diverse X-ray afterglow light-curves, including breaks and plateaus, whose physical origins remain debated. Previous claims linked high-energy ($E \ge 100$ MeV) detection to X-ray afterglow complexity or plateau…
We present the observations of the afterglow of gamma-ray burst GRB 090102. Optical data taken by the TAROT, REM, GROND, together with publicly available data from Palomar, IAC and NOT telescopes, and X-ray data taken by the XRT instrument…
In several GRBs afterglows, rapid temporal decay is observed which is inconsistent with spherical (isotropic) blast-wave models. In particular, GRB 980519 had the most rapidly fading of the well-documented GRB afterglows, with t^{-2.05\pm…
GRB021211 was first detected by HETE II and its early afterglow has been observed. There is a break in its afterglow light curve at about 12 minutes after the bursts, before the break the optical flux decays with a power-law index of about…
We investigate the optical/near-infrared light curve of the afterglow of GRB 080710 in the context of rising afterglows. Optical and near-infrared photometry was performed using the seven channel imager GROND and the Tautenburg Schmidt…
The X-ray light curves of the early afterglow phase from gamma-ray bursts present a puzzling variability, including flares. The origin of these flares is still debated, and often associated with a late activity of the central engine. We…
GRB 050730 is a long duration high-redshift burst (z=3.967) discovered by Swift. The afterglow shows variability and is well monitored over a wide wavelength range. We present comprehensive temporal and spectral analysis of the afterglow of…
Energy injection into the external shock system that generates the afterglow to a gamma-ray burst (GRB) can result in a re-brightening of the emission. Here we investigate the off-axis view of a re-brightened refreshed shock afterglow. We…
We derive a relation between the flux density $F_{\nu,j}$ at the light-curve break of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow and the break time $t_{j}$. The break is due to the transition from the spherical-like to jet-like evolution of the…
In 2021 BL Lacertae underwent an extraordinary activity phase, which was intensively followed by the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT) Collaboration. We present the WEBT optical data in the BVRI bands acquired at 36 observatories around…
We present a comprehensive analysis of the optical and X-ray light curves (LCs) and spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of a large sample of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows to investigate the relationship between the optical and X-ray…
A popular paradigm to explain the rapid temporal variability observed in gamma-ray burst (GRB) lightcurves is the internal shock model. We propose an alternative model in which the radiating fluid in the GRB shell is relativistically…
Linear polarization at the level of $\sim 1-3%$ has by now been measured in several gamma-ray burst afterglows. Whereas the degree of polarization, $P$, was found to vary in some sources, the position angle, $\theta_p$, was roughly constant…