Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Swift Era
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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.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Short versus long gamma-ray bursts: spectra, energetics, and luminosities
Giancarlo Ghirlanda,L. Nava,L. Nava,Gabriele Ghisellini,Annalisa Celotti,Claudio Firmani,Claudio Firmani +6 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the spectral properties of short and long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) detected by BATSE and selected with the same limiting peak flux were compared, and it was shown that short GRBs are similar to the first phases of long GRBs.
Journal ArticleDOI
Special relativistic simulations of magnetically dominated jets in collapsing massive stars
TL;DR: In this paper, a series of two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic core-collapse simulations of rapidly rotating and strongly magnetized massive stars are performed to study the properties of magnetic explosions for a longer time stretch of postbounce evolution.
Journal ArticleDOI
A Short GRB "No-Host'' Problem? Investigating Large Progenitor Offsets for Short GRBs with Optical Afterglows
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the afterglow properties and large-scale environments of several short-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with sub-arcsecond optical afterglove positions but no bright coincident host galaxies.
Journal ArticleDOI
Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Swift Era
TL;DR: The Swift satellite has transformed the physical understanding of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) by providing high-quality observations of hundreds of bursts, and facilitating a wide range of follow-up observations within seconds of each event as mentioned in this paper.
Journal ArticleDOI
Swift Identification of Dark Gamma-Ray Bursts
Pall Jakobsson,Pall Jakobsson,Jens Hjorth,Johan P. U. Fynbo,Darach Watson,Kristian Pedersen,Gunnlaugur Björnsson,Javier Gorosabel,Javier Gorosabel +8 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented an optical flux vs. X-ray flux diagram for all known gamma-ray bursts for which an Xray afterglow has been detected, and proposed an operational definition of dark bursts as those bursts that are optically subluminous with respect to the fireball model.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
First year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) observations: Preliminary maps and basic results
Charles L. Bennett,Mark Halpern,Gary Hinshaw,N. Jarosik,Alan J. Kogut,Michele Limon,Michele Limon,S. S. Meyer,Lyman A. Page,David N. Spergel,Gregory S. Tucker,Gregory S. Tucker,Gregory S. Tucker,Edward J. Wollack,Edward L. Wright,Cris W. Barnes,M. R. Greason,Robert S. Hill,Eiichiro Komatsu,M. R. Nolta,N. Odegard,Hiranya V. Peiris,Licia Verde,Janet Weiland +23 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present full sky microwave maps in five frequency bands (23 to 94 GHz) from the WMAP first year sky survey, which are consistent with the 7 in. full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) maps.
Journal ArticleDOI
First Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Preliminary Maps and Basic Results
Charles L. Bennett,Mark Halpern,Gary Hinshaw,N. Jarosik,Alan J. Kogut,Michele Limon,Michele Limon,S. S. Meyer,Lyman A. Page,David N. Spergel,Gregory S. Tucker,Edward J. Wollack,Edward L. Wright,Cris W. Barnes,M. R. Greason,Robert S. Hill,Eiichiro Komatsu,M. R. Nolta,N. Odegard,H. V. Peirs,Licia Verde,Janet Weiland +21 more
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,G. Chincarini,G. Chincarini,Paolo Giommi,Keith O. Mason,John A. Nousek,Alan A. Wells,Nicholas E. White,S. D. Barthelmy,David N. Burrows,L. R. Cominsky,Kevin Hurley,F. E. Marshall,Peter Mészáros,Peter W. A. Roming,Lorella Angelini,Lorella Angelini,L. M. Barbier,Tomaso Belloni,Sergio Campana,P. A. Caraveo,M. M. Chester,O. Citterio,T. L. Cline,Mark Cropper,Jay Cummings,Jay Cummings,A. J. Dean,Eric D. Feigelson,E. E. Fenimore,Dale A. Frail,A. S. Fruchter,Gordon P. Garmire,Keith C. Gendreau,Gabriele Ghisellini,Jochen Greiner,Joanne E. Hill,S. D. Hunsberger,Hans A. Krimm,Hans A. Krimm,Shrinivas R. Kulkarni,Pawan Kumar,F. Lebrun,Nicole M. Lloyd-Ronning,Craig B. Markwardt,Craig B. Markwardt,Barbara J. Mattson,Barbara J. Mattson,Richard Mushotzky,Jay P. Norris,J. P. Osborne,Bohdan Paczynski,David Palmer,H.-S. Park,A. M. Parsons,J. A. Paul,Martin J. Rees,Christopher S. Reynolds,James E. Rhoads,T. P. Sasseen,Bradley E. Schaefer,A. Short,Alan P. Smale,Alan P. Smale,Ian Smith,Luigi Stella,Gianpiero Tagliaferri,Tadayuki Takahashi,Makoto Tashiro,Leisa K. Townsley,Jack Tueller,Martin J. L. Turner,M. Vietri,Wolfgang Voges,Martin Ward,Richard Willingale,F. M. Zerbi,W. W. Zhang +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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The Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission
Neil Gehrels,G. Chincarini,G. Chincarini,Paolo Giommi,Keith O. Mason,John A. Nousek,Alan A. Wells,Nicholas E. White,S. D. Barthelmy,David N. Burrows,L. R. Cominsky,Kevin Hurley,F. E. Marshall,Peter Mészáros,Peter W. A. Roming,Lorella Angelini,Lorella Angelini,L. M. Barbier,Tomaso Belloni,Sergio Campana,P. A. Caraveo,M. M. Chester,O. Citterio,T. L. Cline,Mark Cropper,Jay Cummings,Jay Cummings,A. J. Dean,Eric D. Feigelson,E. E. Fenimore,Dale A. Frail,A. S. Fruchter,Gordon P. Garmire,Keith C. Gendreau,Gabriele Ghisellini,Jochen Greiner,Joanne E. Hill,S. D. Hunsberger,Hans A. Krimm,Hans A. Krimm,Shrinivas R. Kulkarni,Pawan Kumar,F. Lebrun,Nicole M. Lloyd-Ronning,Craig B. Markwardt,Craig B. Markwardt,Barbara J. Mattson,Barbara J. Mattson,Richard Mushotzky,Jay P. Norris,J. P. Osborne,Bohdan Paczynski,David Palmer,H.-S. Park,A. M. Parsons,J. A. Paul,Martin J. Rees,Christopher S. Reynolds,James E. Rhoads,T. P. Sasseen,Bradley E. Schaefer,A. Short,Alan P. Smale,Alan P. Smale,Ian Smith,Luigi Stella,Gianpiero Tagliaferri,Tadayuki Takahashi,Makoto Tashiro,Leisa K. Townsley,Jack Tueller,Martin J. L. Turner,M. Vietri,Wolfgang Voges,Martin Ward,Richard Willingale,F. M. Zerbi,W. W. Zhang +77 more