The afterglows of gamma-ray bursts

It is by now fairly well established that gamma-ray burst afterglows result from initially relativistic outflows interacting with the medium surrounding the burster and emitting non-thermal radiation ranging from radio to X-rays. However, beyond that, many big and small questions remain about afterglows, with the accumulating amount of observational data at the various frequencies raising as many questions as they answer. In this review I highlight a number of current theoret...

Major advances have been made in the field of gamma-ray bursts in the last two years. The successful discovery of X-ray, optical and radio afterglows, which were predicted by theory, has made possible the identification of host galaxies at cosmological distances. The energy release inferred in these outbursts place them among the most energetic and violent events in the Universe. Current models envisage this to be the outcome of a cataclysmic event leading to a relativistical...

We present a comparative study of the observed properties of the optical and X-ray afterglows of short- and long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Using a large sample of 37 short and 421 long GRBs, we find a strong correlation between the afterglow brightness measured after 11 hours and the observed fluence of the prompt emission. Both the optical (R band) and X-ray flux densities (F_R and F_X) scale with the gamma-ray fluence, F_gamma. For bursts with a known redshift, a ti...

The cosmological gamma-ray burst (GRB) phenomenon is reviewed. The broad observational facts and empirical phenomenological relations of the GRB prompt emission and afterglow are outlined. A well-tested, successful fireball shock model is introduced in a pedagogical manner. Several important uncertainties in the current understanding of the phenomenon are reviewed, and prospects of how future experiments and extensive observational and theoretical efforts may address these pr...

Since their discovery by the Beppo-SAX satellite in 1997, gamma-ray burst afterglows have attracted an ever-growing interest. They have allowed redshift measurements that have confirmed that gamma-ray bursts are located at cosmological distances. Their study covers a huge range both in time (from one minute to several months after the trigger) and energy (from the GeV to radio domains). The purpose of this review is first to give a short historical account of afterglow resear...

Radio observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows provide both complementary and unique diagnostics of the afterglow physics and environment of the burst. Here we concentrate on three unique aspects of GRB energetics and environments afforded by radio and submillimeter observations: the non-relativistic evolution of the fireball, the density profile of the circumburst medium, and the study of obscured star formation in GRB host galaxies.

A review is given on the various aspects of gamma-ray burst afterglow observations, and the inferences derived from the data. After a short history of optical transient search and the BeppoSAX discoveries, the main topics included are prompt multiwavelength emission, dark bursts, spectral lines line and continuum variability, the early light curve behaviour, jet breaks, X-ray flares, late afterglow features, polarization, and orphan afterglows.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRB) are short and intense bursts of $\sim$100 keV$-$1MeV photons, usually followed by long-lasting decaying afterglow emission in a wide range of electromagnetic wavelengths from radio to X-ray and, sometimes, even to GeV gamma-rays. These emissions are believed to originate from a relativistic jet, which is driven due to the collapse of special massive stars and the mergers of compact binaries (i.e., double neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole)...

We provide a comprehensive review of major developments in our understanding of gamma-ray bursts, with particular focus on the discoveries made within the last fifteen years when their true nature was uncovered. We describe the observational properties of photons from the radio to multi-GeV bands, both in the prompt emission and the afterglow phases. Mechanisms for the generation of these photons in GRBs are discussed and confronted with observations to shed light on the phys...

In 1997 the first optical afterglow of a cosmic Gamma-Ray Burst was discovered, and substantial progress has been achieved since then. Here we present a short review of some recent developments in this field, with emphasis on observational aspects of the GRB phenomenon.