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Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Swift Era

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TLDR
In this article, the authors review the rapid observational and theoretical progress in this dynamical research field during the first two-year of the Swift mission, focusing on how observational breakthroughs have revolutionized our understanding of the physical origins of GRBs.
Abstract
Since the successful launch of NASA's dedicated gamma-ray burst (GRB) mission, Swift, the study of cosmological GRBs has entered a new era. Here I review the rapid observational and theoretical progress in this dynamical research field during the first two-year of the Swift mission, focusing on how observational breakthroughs have revolutionized our understanding of the physical origins of GRBs. Besides summarizing how Swift helps to solve some pre-Swift mysteries, I also list some outstanding problems raised by the Swift observations. An outlook of GRB science in the future, especially in the GLAST era, is briefly discussed.

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Journal ArticleDOI

Radio Afterglows and Host Galaxies of Gamma-Ray Bursts

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the contribution of gamma-ray bursts from the host galaxies to radio afterglows and found that a tight correlation exists between the ratio of the radio flux (RRF) of the host galaxy to the total radio peak emission and the observational frequency.
Journal ArticleDOI

Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows as Analogues of High Frequency-Peaked BL Lac Objects

TL;DR: In this paper, the spectral properties from radio to optical bands are compared between the 18 optically bright Gamma-ray burst afterglows and well established power-spectrum sequence in Blazars.
Journal ArticleDOI

A GRB Follow-up System at the Xinglong Observatory and Detection of the High-Redshift GRB 060927

TL;DR: A gamma-ray burst optical photometric follow-up system at the Xinglong Observatory of National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) has been constructed as mentioned in this paper, which uses the 0.8m Tsinghua-NAOC Telescope (TNT) and the 1-m EST telescope, and can automatically respond to GRB Coordinates Network (GCN) alerts.
Journal ArticleDOI

High-energy emission as a test of the prior emission model for gamma-ray burst afterglows

TL;DR: In this paper, a prior emission model was proposed to explain the X-ray afterglow, which predicts the high-energy gamma-ray emission when the prompt GRB photons from the main flow are up-scattered by relativistic electrons accelerated at the external shock due to the prior flow.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

First Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Preliminary Maps and Basic Results

Abstract: We present full sky microwave maps in five bands (23 to 94 GHz) from the WMAP first year sky survey. Calibration errors are 1 per mode to l=658. The temperature-polarization cross-power spectrum reveals both acoustic features and a large angle correlation from reionization. The optical depth of reionization is 0.17 +/- 0.04, which implies a reionization epoch of 180+220-80 Myr (95% CL) after the Big Bang at a redshift of 20+10-9 (95% CL) for a range of ionization scenarios. This early reionization is incompatible with the presence of a significant warm dark matter density. The age of the best-fit universe is 13.7 +/- 0.2 Gyr old. Decoupling was 379+8-7 kyr after the Big Bang at a redshift of 1089 +/- 1. The thickness of the decoupling surface was dz=195 +/- 2. The matter density is Omega_m h^2 = 0.135 +0.008 -0.009, the baryon density is Omega_b h^2 = 0.0224 +/- 0.0009, and the total mass-energy of the universe is Omega_tot = 1.02 +/- 0.02. The spectral index of scalar fluctuations is fit as n_s = 0.93 +/- 0.03 at wavenumber k_0 = 0.05 Mpc^-1, with a running index slope of dn_s/d ln k = -0.031 +0.016 -0.018 in the best-fit model. This flat universe model is composed of 4.4% baryons, 22% dark matter and 73% dark energy. The dark energy equation of state is limited to w<-0.78 (95% CL). Inflation theory is supported with n_s~1, Omega_tot~1, Gaussian random phases of the CMB anisotropy, and superhorizon fluctuations. An admixture of isocurvature modes does not improve the fit. The tensor-to-scalar ratio is r(k_0=0.002 Mpc^-1)<0.90 (95% CL).
Journal ArticleDOI

The Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission

Neil Gehrels, +77 more
TL;DR: The Swift mission as discussed by the authors is a multi-wavelength observatory for gamma-ray burst (GRB) astronomy, which is a first-of-its-kind autonomous rapid-slewing satellite for transient astronomy and pioneers the way for future rapid-reaction and multiwavelength missions.
Journal ArticleDOI

Gamma-ray bursts from stellar mass accretion disks around black holes

TL;DR: In this paper, a cosmological model for gamma-ray bursts is explored in which the radiation is produced as a broadly beamed pair fireball along the rotation axis of an accreting black hole.
Journal ArticleDOI

Spectra and light curves of gamma-ray burst afterglows

TL;DR: In this paper, the broadband spectrum and corresponding light curve of synchrotron radiation from a power-law distribution of electrons in an expanding relativistic shock were calculated for the gamma-ray burst afterglow.
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