2002/12/02 by M. Boettcher, Markus Boettcher, Boettcher, M.
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #FOS: Physical sciences #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0212034
Solicited review at the 34th COSPAR Scientific Assembly; submitted to Adv. in Sp. Res.; 10 pages, including 2 eps figures
arxiv created 2002/12/02 · openalex publication_date 2002/12/02 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Absorption and Reprocessing of Gamma-ray burst radiation in the environment of cosmological GRBs can be used as a powerful probe of the elusive nature of their progenitors. In particular, transient X-ray emission line and absorption features in the prompt and early afterglows of GRBs are sensitive to details of the location and density structure of the reprocessing and/or absorbing material. To date, there have been only rather few detections of such features, and the significance is marginal in most individual cases. However, transient X-ray emission lines in GRB afterglows have now been found by four different X-ray satellites, which may justify a more detailed theoretical investigation of their origin. In this paper, I will first present a brief review of the status of observations of transient X-ray emission line and absorption features. I will then discuss general physics constraints which those results impose on isotropy, homogeneity, and location of the reprocessing material with respect to the GRB source, and review the various currently discussed, specific models of GRBs and their environments in which the required conditions could arise.