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Physical Society ColloquiumRapid-Response Observations of Gamma-Ray BurstsDerek FoxCaltechGamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the brightest explosions in the universe, a million times brighter than supernovae, and are generated in the most highly-relativistic outflows known, having bulk Lorentz factors γ > 100. Rapid-response optical observations of GRBs allow us to directly estimate the Lorentz factor of these explosions and investigate in detail the processes that power them. I will present such data for two recent GRBs, discuss their implications, and outline the prospects for detailed investigation of these phenomena using data and burst-triggers from NASA's forthcoming Swift satellite.
Wednesday, September 15th 2004, 15:30
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, Keys Auditorium (room 112) |