Related papers: Rings in Fireball Afterglows
We show that gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow observations strongly suggest, within the fireball model framework, that radiating electrons are shock accelerated to a power-law energy distribution, with universal index p \approx 2.2, and that…
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…
The various stages of baryonic gamma-ray burst afterglow blast waves are reviewed. These are responsible for the afterglow emission from which much of our understanding of gamma-ray bursts derives. Initially, the blast waves are confined to…
Highly radiative expansion of a relativistic shell is shown to explain all observed features of the afterglows of the two bursts GRB 970228 and GRB 970508. In particular, in the first case the observed time-dependence t^-1.32 of the soft…
Recent follow-up observations of the December 27 giant flare of SGR 1806-20 have detected a multiple-frequency radio afterglow from 240 MHz to 8.46 GHz, extending in time from a week to about a month after the flare. The angular size of the…
We here discuss a new model of $\gamma$-ray bursts (GRBs) based on differentially rotating strange stars. Strange stars in this model and differentially rotating neutron stars in the Klu\'zniak-Ruderman model can produce extremely…
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…
Polarimetry of Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) afterglows in the last few years has been considered one of the most effective tool to probe the geometry, energetic, dynamics and the environment of GRBs. We report some of the most recent results and…
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…
A theoretical attempt to identify the physical process responsible for the afterglow emission of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) is presented, leading to the occurrence of thermal emission in the comoving frame of the shock wave giving rise to the…
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are panchromatic, highly energetic transients whose energy emission mechanism is still debated. One of the possible explanations is the standard fireball model, which can be tested with the closure relations (CRs),…
Gamma ray bursts are often modelled as jet-like outflows directed towards the observer; the cone angle of the jet is then commonly inferred from the time at which there is a steepening in the power-law decay of the afterglow. We consider an…
The ultra-relativistic outflows powering gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) acquire angular structure through their interaction with external material. They are often characterized by a compact, nearly uniform narrow core (with half-opening angle…
The launch of the Beppo-Sax satellite gave a unique opportunity to investigate gamma ray bursts (GRB) in different spectral regions. The large diversity of the afterglow behavior creates additional problems for the cosmological model with a…
The temporal behaviour of the early optical emission from Gamma-Ray Burst afterglows can be divided in four classes: fast-rising with an early peak, slow-rising with a late peak, flat plateaus, and rapid decays since first measurement. The…
Four years after the launch the Swift satellite the nature of the GRBs broadband afterglow behaviour is still an open issue. The standard external shock fireball model cannot easily explain the combined temporal and spectral properties of…
If Gamma-Ray-Bursts (GRBs) occur at high redshifts, then their bright afterglow emission can be used to probe the ionization and metal enrichment histories of the intervening intergalactic medium during the epoch of reionization. In…
The energetics of optical and radio afterglows following BeppoSAX and BATSE gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) suggests that gamma-ray emission is not narrowly collimated, but a moderate beaming is possible, so the total energy of a GRB may be in the…
Gamma ray bursts are among the most energetic events in the known universe. A highly relativistic fireball is ejected. In most cases the burst itself is followed by an afterglow, emitted under deceleration as the fireball plunges through…
The interaction of a relativistic fireball with its ambient medium is described through two shocks: a reverse shock that propagates into the fireball, and a forward shock that propagates into the medium. The observed optical flash of GRB…