Eventi

7 NOVEMBRE 2017 ore 15:00
Colloquium

RADIO AFTERGLOWS OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTS

Dr. Marco Marongiu (Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Ferrara)
RADIO AFTERGLOWS OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTS
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the most energetic events on stellar scale in the Universe and for a few seconds they outshine the whole gamma-ray sky. Their progenitors --either core collapsing massive stars or binary neutron star mergers, depending on whether the GRB lasts more or less than ~2 s, respectively-- launch relativistic jets with mean gamma-ray released energies around 10 51 erg and jet opening angles ranging 5-20°. GRBs are also characterised by a long-lasting emission --days through months-- at lower frequencies known as "afterglow", originating from the interaction between the ejecta and the circumburst medium. GRB afterglows encode a wealth of information that links to (i) the radiation mechanism(s) responsible for the prompt gamma-rays, in particular the possible presence of large-scale magnetic fields entrained in the ejecta, which is still of the main open issues in the field; (ii) relativistic shock microphysics; (iii) energetics; (iv) jet geometry. All these issues can be addressed effectively and uniquely through observations at lower frequencies - in particular the radio band. In this talk I will discuss how Sardinia Radio Telescope can effectively contribute to the field.