Overview
- Nominated as an outstanding thesis by the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of New Mexico
- Derives a powerful new semi-analytic GRB jet hydrodynamics and afterglow emissions model, which is uniquely capable of handling jet evolution in our realistic density profiles
- Presents evidence that realistic circumburst environments are produced, which show that the standard model for such environments is a serious oversimplification
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: Springer Theses (Springer Theses)
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
Nominated as an outstanding thesis by the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of New Mexico, this thesis seeks to identify the gamma-ray burst (GRB) progenitor. GRBs are extragalactic explosions that briefly outshine entire galaxies, but the mechanism that can release that much energy over a < 100 second burst is still a mystery. The leading candidate for the GRB progenitor is currently a massive star which collapses to form a black hole–accretion disk system that powers the GRB. GRB afterglows, however, do not always show the expected behavior of a relativistic blast wave interacting with the stellar wind that such a progenitor should have produced before its collapse.
In this book, the author uses the Zeus-MP astrophysical hydrodynamics code to model the environment around a stellar progenitor prior to the burst. He then develops a new semi-analytic MHD and emission model to produce light curves for GRBs encountering these realistic density profiles. The work ultimately shows that the circumburst medium surrounding a GRB at the time of the explosion is much more complex than a pure wind, and that observed afterglows are entirely consistent with a large subset of proposed stellar progenitors.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Searching for the Long-Duration Gamma-Ray Burst Progenitor
Authors: Robert Allan Mesler III
Series Title: Springer Theses
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06626-4
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-06625-7Published: 16 July 2014
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-38135-0Published: 23 August 2016
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-06626-4Published: 28 May 2014
Series ISSN: 2190-5053
Series E-ISSN: 2190-5061
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 111
Number of Illustrations: 4 b/w illustrations, 21 illustrations in colour
Topics: Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Exploration and Astronautics), Mathematical Methods in Physics