GRBs: Laboratories for Relativistic Astrophysics and Probes of Cosmic Evolution
Dieter Hartmann (Clemson University)
Monday 13 October, 2:30 pm, Curia II((LClemanCr Hartmann

Abstract:  

The discovery of low-energy afterglow emission from cosmic Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) led to a revolution in this field. The established redshifts of GRBs are large, and the implied energies correspondingly huge. The light curves can be used to establish the presence of jet geometry, which reduces the GRB energy to a scale comparable to that found in supernovae. Still, the inferred outflow velocities are extremely relativistic. Recently the association of GRBs with supernovae was clearly established, linking formation of massive stars and the subsequent core collapse to the GRB phenomenon. The formation of black holes can thus be witnessed via bright GRBs, which provides a unique tracer of the cosmic star formation history. I will present an update of the current observational knowledge of GRBs and their afterglows, and discuss their use as laboratories for relativistic astrophysics and as probes of cosmic evolution.