Related papers: Kinematic Arguments Against Single Relativistic Sh…
Many cosmological models of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) assume that a single relativistic shell carries kinetic energy away from the source and later converts it into gamma rays, perhaps by interactions with the interstellar medium or by shocks…
In many models of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) relativistic shells are responsible for the overall envelope of emission. We use kinematics and symmetry to calculate the time history and spectral evolution expected from a relativistic shell…
We review the observational differences between gamma-ray bursts occurring on a single shell (such as in the external shock model) and multiple shells (such as in the internal shock model). We do not argue against external shocks or for…
Many models of cosmological gamma-ray bursts involve the sudden release of $\sim 10^{51}$ erg which produce shells which expand at relativistic speeds (Lorentz $\Gamma$ factors of $10^{2-3}$). We investigate the kinematic limits on the…
We calculate the expected envelope of emission for relativistic shells under the assumption of local spherical symmetry. Gamma-Ray Burst envelopes rarely conform to the expected shape, which is similar to a FRED; a fast rise and exponential…
Ultra-relativistic motion and efficient conversion of kinetic energy to radiation are required by gamma-ray burst (GRB) observations, yet they are difficult to simultaneously achieve. Three leading mechanisms have been proposed to explain…
In the external shock model, gamma-ray burst (GRB) emissions are produced by the energization and deceleration of a thin relativistic blast wave due to its interactions with the circumburst medium (CBM). We study the physical properties of…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the universe's most energetic phenomena (isotropic luminosity $\sim 10^{51} - 10^{54}$ ergs/s) lasting for a very short duration ($\sim$ milliseconds - a few seconds). Even after an average of one GRB detected…
The hard X-ray and gamma-ray phenomenology of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can be explained by an external shock model where a single relativistic blast wave interacts with the surrounding medium. Besides reproducing the generic spectral…
Many cosmological models of GRBs envision the energy source to be a cataclysmic stellar event leading to a relativistically expanding fireball. Particles are thought to be accelerated at shocks and produce nonthermal radiation. The highly…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been thought to originate from internal shocks that occur about 10^{15} cm from a central site. The shells responsible for these shocks merge together and undergo an external shock at about 10^{17} cm, producing…
Since the suggestion of relativistic shocks as the origin of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in early 90's, the mathematical formulation of this process has stayed at phenomenological level. One of the reasons for the slow development of…
We discuss the possibility that gamma-ray bursts result from internal shocks in an ultra-relativistic matter. Using a simple model we calculate the temporal structure and we estimate the efficiency of this process. In this model the…
Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are notorious for their diversity. Yet, they have a series of common features. The typical energy of their $\gamma$ rays is a fraction of an MeV. The energy distributions are well described by a ``Band spectrum'',…
The variability observed in many complex gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is inconsistent with causally connected variations in a single, symmetric, relativistic shell interacting with the ambient material ("external shocks"). Rather, the symmetry…
Internal shocks are a leading candidate for the dissipation mechanism that powers the prompt $\gamma$-ray emission in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). In this scenario a compact central source produces an ultra-relativistic outflow with varying…
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are thought to originate at cosmological distances from the most powerful explosions in the Universe. If GRBs are not beamed then the distribution of their number as a function of Gamma-ray flux implies that they…
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…
It is generally believed that cosmological Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are produced by the deceleration of relativistic objects with Lorentz factor (Gamma) >~ 100. We study the possibility that some GRBs are produced along with relativistic…
A leading mechanism for producing cosmological gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is via ultra-relativistic particles in an expanding fireball. The kinetic energy of the particles is converted into thermal energy in a forward shock and a reverse…