Abstract
Being the most extreme explosions in the universe, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) provide a unique laboratory to study various plasma physics phenomena. The complex light curve andbroad-band, non-thermal spectra indicate a very complicated system on the one hand, but, on the other hand, provide a wealth of information to study it. In this chapter, I focus on recent progress in some of the key unsolved physical problems. These include: (1) particle acceleration and magnetic field generation in shock waves; (2) possible role of strong magnetic fields in accelerating the plasmas, and accelerating particles via the magnetic reconnection process; (3) various radiative processes that shape the observed light curve and spectra, both during the prompt and the afterglow phases, and finally (4) GRB environments and their possible observational signature.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 33 |
| Journal | Galaxies |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Acknowledgments: A.P. acknowledges support by the European Research Council via the ERC consolidating Grant No. 773062 (acronym O.M.J.). I wish to thank Antoine Bret for useful discussions.
Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by the European Research Council via the ERC consolidating Grant No. 773062 (acronym O.M.J.).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 by the authors.
Keywords
- Galaxies: active
- Gamma-ray bursts
- Jets
- Radiation mechanism: non-thermal
- TBD