Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB) are the brightest electromagnetic events in the Universe since the Big Bang. As such they have intrigued the astrophysical community since their accidental discovery in 1967. Despite almost 60 years of intense research, resulting in over 10000 GRB detections, very little remains known about these violent events. While we know that these events are related to the death of massive stars or the merger of compact objects, we still lack an understanding of how, and where, the gamma-rays which give these events their name, are produced. Attempts to understand this have thus far focussed primarily on measurements of the time of arrival, the direction and energy of the gamma-ray emission. Measurements of the 4th parameter, the polarization, are rare, despite their significant potential to resolve theoretical models. In this talk I will discuss this potential in detail, while in parallel addressing the reasons for the lack of polarization measurements. Finally, I will present an overview of past missions as well as the missions which aim to provide the first detailed measurements in the coming decade.
25/11/2024
Speaker: Merlin Kole, University of New Hampshire, USA
Monday 25 November 2024 at 11:00AM CET