Daily Image
27-05-2014
Today's Colloquium: Gamma-Ray Bursts from GeV to GHz and Beyond
| Submitter: | Alexander van der Horst (API) |
| Description: | Gamma-ray bursts are a broadband phenomenon, with emission detected across the electromagnetic spectrum from low-frequency radio waves to high-energy gamma-rays. Besides this extremely broad spectral range, they are also observed over a very large range of timescales, from millisecond variability in gamma-rays to the afterglows at radio frequencies that can sometimes be observed for years after the initial gamma-ray trigger. Our current understanding of gamma-ray bursts is based on these multi-frequency and multi-timescale observations. In this talk I will show how information from the various spectral regimes has led to a broadband picture of the physics behind the observed emission, the progenitors, and their environment. I will highlight recent developments, both observationally and in modeling work, for instance the discovery of optical circular polarization, the detection of the brightest gamma-ray burst of the last three decades, the searches for early radio emission, and modeling observed light curves directly with state-of-the-art jet simulations. Finally, I will discuss how the possibilities that several new and upgraded radio observatories offer will lead to a better understanding of the macro- and microphysics behind these enigmatic phenomena. |
| Copyright: | NASA/GSFC |
| Tweet |  |