2003/11/13 by Bing Zhang, Peter Meszaros · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1142/s0217751x0401746x
published as Int.J.Mod.Phys. A19 (2004) 2385-2472 · 86 pages, 17 figures, 566 references, an invited review for International Journal of Modern Physics A, in press
arxiv created 2003/11/13 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
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 problems are discussed.