GRBANDAFTERGLOW · Gamma Ray Bursts and Their Afterglows
FP7 — People (Marie Curie Actions)
- Duration
- 2008-01-01 → 2011-12-31
- EU contribution
- €100,000
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MC-IRG
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Gamma Ray Bursts and Their Afterglows
We have investigated a list of hydrodynamic scenarios and radiation transport mechanisms relevant for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows. Particular attention was devoted to self-similar solutions. We have examined a new type of self similarity, in which a solution is similar to itself only over a discrete set of times. We have shown that these are relevant for a long list of problems, including the stability of self similar solutions and two dimensional solutions. In the investigation of radiation processes we have both examined inverse-Compton, providing predictions for the Fermi satellite, and more recently, provided analysis of the early emission from cooling envelopes of exploding stars. These are relevant for the early emission from supernovae, at the time when the shockwave just breaks out of the star and shortly after.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
More than thirty years have passed since the detection of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) was first reported and enormous observational and theoretical efforts have been devoted to understanding this enigmatic phenomenon. Today, the GRB enigma, once one of the greatest mysteries in astrophysics, is partially solved: GRBs are the death throes of massive stars and the birth cries of black holes. Yet these objects continue to fascinate astronomers and the general public due to their unparalleled brilliance, the amazing relativistic bulk Lorentz factors involved, and because the conditions that lead to a GRB are still mysterious. What makes a massive star produce a GRB rather than a supernova? In this focused proposal, we concentrate on issues related to the geometry of the ejecta as a jet. We propose to construct, for the first time, relativistic two-dimensional self-similar hydrodynamic solutions. We will utilize these solutions to better understand relativistic jets, their lateral spreading and their interaction with the surrounding medium. Our research will illuminate the energetic content of the events, explore their geometrical diversity, and more accurately determine how frequent they are in the universe. We will explore an innovative way to identify orphan afterglows using the upcoming satellite GLAST.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM · JerusalemCoordinatorIsrael
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union