Related papers: Relativistic Winds from Compact Gamma-Ray Sources:…
We construct models for gamma-ray bursts where the emission comes from internal shocks in a relativistic wind with a highly non uniform distribution of the Lorentz factor. We follow the evolution of the wind using a very simplified approach…
We consider the radiative acceleration to relativistic bulk velocities of a cold, optically thin plasma which is exposed to an external source of gamma-rays. The flow is driven by radiative momentum input to the gas, the accelerating force…
Unsteady activity of gamma-ray burst sources leads to internal shocks in their emergent relativistic wind. We study the emission spectra from such shocks, assuming that they produce a power-law distribution of relativistic electrons and…
We analyze the model of gamma-ray binaries, consisting of a massive star and a pulsar with ultrarelativistic wind. We consider radiation from energetic particles, accelerated at the pulsar wind termination shock, and feedback of this…
We investigate a scenario of photons scattering by electrons within a relativistic outflow. The outflow is composed of discrete shells with different speeds. One shell emits radiation for a short duration. Some of this radiation is…
The rapid time variability of gamma-ray bursts implies the sources are very compact, and the peak luminosities are so high that some matter must be ejected at ultra-relativistic speeds. The very large Lorentz factors of the bulk flow are…
The principal paradigm for gamma-ray bursts suggest that the prompt transient gamma-ray signal arises from multiple shocks internal to the relativistic expansion. This paper illustrates some properties of diffusive acceleration at…
Context. Gamma-ray binaries are systems that radiate the dominant part of their non-thermal emission in the gamma-ray band. In a wind-driven scenario, these binaries are thought to consist of a pulsar orbiting a massive star, accelerating…
Sub-photospheric shock dissipation is one of the main proposed mechanisms for producing the prompt gamma-ray burst (GRB) emission. Such shocks are mediated by scattering of radiation. We introduce a time dependent, special relativistic code…
(Abridged) We consider the interaction of a relativistically-moving shell, composed of thermal photons, a reversing magnetic field and a small admixture of charged particles, with a dense Wolf-Rayet wind. A thin outer layer of Wolf-Rayet…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are believed to originate from ultra-relativistic winds/fireballs to avoid the "compactness problem". However, the most energetic photons in GRBs may still suffer from $\gamma-\gamma$ absorption leading to…
Forward shocks caused by the interaction between a relativistic blast wave and the circum-burst medium are thought to be responsible for the afterglow emission in Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). We consider the hydrodynamics of a spherical…
A particle acceleration mechanism by radiation pressure of precursor waves in a relativistic shock is studied. For a relativistic, perpendicular shock with the upstream bulk Lorentz factor of $\gamma_1 \gg 1$, large amplitude…
We calculate the creation of electron--positron pairs in Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) resulting from the collision between scattered and outward moving gamma-ray photons. The number of pairs exceeds the number of ambient medium electrons…
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…
We suggest that neutron star mergers eject an ultra-relativistic envelope of mass $m\sim 10^{-7}M_\odot$, which helps explain the gamma-ray burst from GW170817. One ejection mechanism is the ablation of the neutron star surface by the burst…
In almost any scenario for 'cosmological' gamma-ray bursts (and in many models where they originate in our own Galaxy), the initial energy density is so large that the resulting relativistic plasma expands with $v\sim c$ producing a blast…
We use 1+1/2 dimensional particle-in-cell plasma simulations to study the interaction of a relativistic, strongly magnetized wind with an ambient medium. Such an interaction is a plausible mechanism which leads to generation of cosmological…
(Abridged) We interpret gamma ray bursts as relativistic, electromagnetic explosions. Specifically, we propose that they are created when a rotating, relativistic, stellar-mass progenitor loses much of its rotational energy in the form of a…
Relativistically expanding sources of X-rays and gamma-rays cover an enormous range of (central) compactness and Lorentz factor. The underlying physics is discussed, with an emphasis on how the dominant dissipative mode and the emergent…