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8 - Basic gamma-ray burst afterglows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2012

By
Peter Mészáros  and
Ralph A. M. J. Wijers
Edited by
Chryssa Kouveliotou ,
Ralph A. M. J. Wijers  and
Stan Woosley
Peter Mészáros
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Center for Particle Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Ralph A. M. J. Wijers
Affiliation:
Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Chryssa Kouveliotou
Affiliation:
NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville
Ralph A. M. J. Wijers
Affiliation:
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Stan Woosley
Affiliation:
University of California, Santa Cruz
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Summary

Introduction

As we have seen in the previous chapters, observational evidence combined with elementary theoretical considerations leads to the view that gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows result from dissipation of energy from an ultrarelativistic flow, which in turn is generated by a catastrophic event that injects a supernova-like amount of energy into a small volume. As discussed in Chapter 7, this dissipation can be both internal (when radial or angular differences in motion lead to heat production and subsequent radiation) and external (when the outflow interacts with its environment). The prevailing view attributes the prompt gamma-ray emission to the internal dissipation, and the afterglow to external dissipation, but the phenomena may overlap in time. A case in point is the so-called reverse-shock emission seen in optical wavelengths, during and soon after the prompt emission, and in radio wavelengths within the first days (Chapters 6 and 7), which is best explained as due to the reverse shock propagating back into the ejecta when they decelerate onto the external mass. The present chapter will deal with the physics of the external interaction of the outflow, regardless of how soon after the burst onset we see its emission.

There are some basic assumptions we make about the physics that dominates the behavior of our system. First, we will here treat only the spherically symmetric case. This is generally not correct, because GRBs are known to be highly collimated.

Type
Chapter
Information
Gamma-ray Bursts , pp. 151 - 168
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2012

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  • Basic gamma-ray burst afterglows
    • By Peter Mészáros, Department of Physics and Center for Particle Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA, Ralph A. M. J. Wijers, Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Edited by Chryssa Kouveliotou, NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ralph A. M. J. Wijers, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Stan Woosley, University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Book: Gamma-ray Bursts
  • Online publication: 05 December 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511980336.009
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  • Basic gamma-ray burst afterglows
    • By Peter Mészáros, Department of Physics and Center for Particle Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA, Ralph A. M. J. Wijers, Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Edited by Chryssa Kouveliotou, NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ralph A. M. J. Wijers, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Stan Woosley, University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Book: Gamma-ray Bursts
  • Online publication: 05 December 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511980336.009
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Basic gamma-ray burst afterglows
    • By Peter Mészáros, Department of Physics and Center for Particle Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA, Ralph A. M. J. Wijers, Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Edited by Chryssa Kouveliotou, NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ralph A. M. J. Wijers, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Stan Woosley, University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Book: Gamma-ray Bursts
  • Online publication: 05 December 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511980336.009
Available formats
×