报告题目：Gamma-ray Bursts

报 告 人： Elena Pian, Astronomer at the INAF and Professor at Scuola Normale Superiore

报告时间：11月3日16:00

报告地点：郑裕彤讲堂

报告摘要：Forty years after their discovery and nearly 15 years after their localization and afterglow detection, Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are still top targets for observation from the local Universe to its edge (up to redshift 9), and represent a prime theoretical challenge. Their prompt gamma-ray emission outshines every other source in the sky in this band and their initial optical counterparts can be as bright as V = 5, i.e. many orders of magnitudes more luminous than a normal quasar. Their X-ray afterglows reveal the presence of complex engines, whose nature is still debated (black hole vs neutron star). The rapid panchromatic variability of GRBs and their afterglows engages astronomers in the organization of multiwavelength observing campaigns that include satellites and ground-based telescopes. I will review the state of the art of the observations and the problems that are still open.