Related papers: Relativistic Outflows in Gamma-Ray Bursts
A pedagogical derivation is presented of the ``fireball'' model of gamma-ray bursts, according to which the observable effects are due to the dissipation of the kinetic energy of a relativistically expanding wind, a ``fireball.'' The main…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most brilliant objects in the Universe but efforts to estimate the total energy released in the explosion -- a crucial physical quantity -- have been stymied by their unknown geometry: spheres or cones. We…
We present an interpretation of the phenomenological relations between the spectral peak, isotropic luminosity and duration of long gamma ray bursts that have been discovered by Amati et al., Ghirlanda et al., Firmani et al., and Liang &…
The blast-wave model for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has been called into question by observations of spectra from GRBs that are harder than can be produced through optically thin synchrotron emission. If GRBs originate from the collapse of…
The observational diversity of ``gamma-ray bursts'' (GRBs) has been increasing, and the natural inclination is a proliferation of models. We explore the possibility that at least part of this diversity is a consequence of a single basic…
Binary neutron-star mergers have long been associated with short-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). This connection was confirmed with the first coincident detection of gravitational waves together with electromagnetic radiation from…
We discuss some open problems concerning the origin and the emission mechanism of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in light of recent developments. If GRBs originate at extragalactic distances, we are facing four crises: (1) an energy crisis, models…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRB) are short and intense bursts of $\sim$100 keV$-$1MeV photons, usually followed by long-lasting decaying afterglow emission in a wide range of electromagnetic wavelengths from radio to X-ray and, sometimes, even to GeV…
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the must violent explosions after the Big-Bang. Their high energy radiation can potentially carry information about the most inner part of the accretion disk of a collapsing star, ionize the surrounding material…
The prompt emission of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) is still an outstanding question in the study of these cataclysmic events. Part of what makes GRBs difficult to study is how unique each event seems to be. However, aggregating many GRB…
The variety of gamma-ray burst phenomenology could be largely attributable to differences in the opening angle of an isotropic outflow or to a standard type of event viewed from different orientations. Motivated by this currently popular…
Gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows are well described by synchrotron emission originating from the interaction between a relativistic blast wave and the external medium surrounding the GRB progenitor. We introduce a code to reconstruct…
The mechanism responsible for the prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is still a debated issue. The prompt phase-related GRB correlations can allow to discriminate among the most plausible theoretical models explaining this emission.…
The highly luminous and variable prompt emission in Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) arises in an ultra-relativistic outflow. The exact underlying radiative mechanism shaping its non-thermal spectrum is still uncertain, making it hard to determine…
Recent rapid advances in the observations of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) lend much confidence to the cosmological fireball (FB) model: there is now compelling evidence that the radiation is emitted by a relativistic shock where a high speed…
The most energetic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are remarkable sources releasing huge amounts of energy on short timescales. Their prompt emission, which usually lasts few seconds, is so bright that it is visible across the whole observable…
Gamma-ray bursts are a complex, non-linear system that evolves very rapidly through stages of vastly different conditions. They evolve from scales of few hundred kilometers where they are very dense and hot to cold and tenuous on scales of…
It is now generally accepted that long-duration gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are due to the collapse of massive rotating stars. The precise collapse process itself, however, is not yet fully understood. Strong winds, outbursts, and intense…
Leading models for the "central engine" of long, soft gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are briefly reviewed with emphasis on the collapsar model. Growing evidence supports the hypothesis that GRBs are a supernova-like phenomenon occurring in star…
The discovery of GRBs' afterglows has allowed us to establish several facts: their distance and energy scales, the fact that they are due to explosions, that the explosions are relativistic, and that the afterglow emission mechanism is…