2001/01/10 by K. S. Cheng, T. Lu
Physics and Astronomy · #Afterglow #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Galaxy #Gamma-ray burst #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Sky #Supernova #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/1009-9271/1/1/1
40 pages, Latex, review paper to be published in CJAA
arxiv created 2001/01/10 · openalex publication_date 2001/02/01 · arxiv updated 2017/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most intense transient gamma-ray events in the sky; this, together with the strong evidence (the isotropic and inhomogeneous distribution of GRBs detected by BASTE) that they are located at cosmological distances, makes them the most energetic events ever known. For example, the observed radiation energies of some GRBs are equivalent to the total convertion into radiation of the mass energy of more than one solar mass. This is thousand times stronger than the energy of a supernova explosion. Some unconventional energy mechanism and extremely high conversion efficiency for these mysterious events are required. The discovery of host galaxies and association with supernovae at cosmological distances by the recently launched satellite of BeppoSAX and ground based radio and optical telescopes in GRB afterglow provides further support to the cosmological origin of GRBs and put strong constraints on their central engine. It is the aim of this article to review the possible central engines, energy mechanisms, dynamical and spectral evolution of GRBs, especially focusing on the afterglows in multi-wavebands.