GAMMA RAY BURSTS

Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are extremely bright and rapid explosions associated with the collapse of massive stars or with compact star mergers. An ultra-relativistic jet forms at the center of the explosion and due to internal dissipation emits gamma rays that are known as the “prompt" phase of the GRB. As the jet collides with the external environment, a smoother, longer-lived “afterglow" emission is produced. Although studied for almost 50 years, some major questions about GRBs remain unsolved. The recent discovery of a GRB counterpart to the gravitational wave signal observed from a binary neutron star merger was a spectacular milestone that has already helped address many of the open questions. Many other open questions will be similarly answered in the next few years, when more GRBs are detected as gravitational wave counterparts (e.g. 1,2,3). I study many different aspects of GRBs, including radiation and dissipation mechanisms in the prompt and afterglow stages of GRBs, the central engines driving the explosions and the nature of the jets that they produce.