Gamma ray burst astrophysics

伽马射线爆发天体物理学

• 批准号: 1579029
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2015 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-1579029
• 关键词: Gamma; ray; burst; astrophysics

For around 30 years after their discovery in the late 1960s, gamma-ray bursts were one of astronomy's biggest mysteries. The locations of gamma ray bursts were finally localised with enough precision to search for X-ray and optical afterglows, and identify the galaxies in which they originate, in the late 1990s. In 2004, NASA's Swift observatory was launched, which localises gamma ray bursts autonomously as they are happening, and slews within 90 seconds to bring its Optical/UV Telescope and X-ray Telescope to capture the afterglow within a few minutes of the burst. We now know that long gamma-ray bursts (with durations longer than 2 seconds) occur in the hypernova explosions that end the lives of massive stars, and that the short gamma-ray bursts are likely to come from the merging of neutron star binaries. The physics of the explosion and subsequent afterglow are hot topics of debate. Swift, together with ground based telescopes and other space observatories, are providing a wealth of data on gamma ray bursts and their afterglows. The Optical/Ultraviolet Telescope (UVOT) onboard Swift was designed and constructed at MSSL, and we host an operations team which plays a major role in the Swift observatory, analysing the gamma-ray burst data as it comes down from Swift.This project is for a PhD student to work alongside our operations team in studying gamma-ray bursts and to utilise the large body of UVOT data to further our understanding of the physics of these phenomenal explosions: how they are powered, how the relativistic blastwave deposits its energy into the surrounding medium, the environments in which gamma-ray bursts occur, what the progenitor stars could be, and what gamma-ray bursts tell us about the cosmic history of star and galaxy formation. The student will examine correlations between the gamma-ray and optical energetics, building on the correlation we recently found between the brightness of the afterglow and the speed with which it fades (Oates, Page et al. 2012, MNRAS 426, L26). The student will also experience real-time investigation and follow up of gamma-ray bursts, starting within the first few minutes of a burst being detected with Swift, with the opportunity to study in detail any exceptional bursts that go off when the student is on duty.The student will develop a front-line understanding of the physics of these explosions, and contribute to improving this understanding.

在20世纪60年代末被发现后的大约30年里，伽马射线暴一直是天文学最大的谜团之一。在20世纪90年代末，伽玛射线爆发的位置最终被精确定位，以搜索x射线和光学余辉，并确定它们产生的星系。2004年，美国宇航局发射了雨燕天文台，它可以在伽马射线爆发发生时自动定位，并在90秒内用光学/紫外望远镜和x射线望远镜捕捉到爆发后几分钟内的余辉。我们现在知道，长伽马射线暴（持续时间超过2秒）发生在终结大质量恒星生命的超新星爆炸中，而短伽马射线暴很可能来自中子星双星的合并。爆炸和随后的余辉的物理学是争论的热点话题。雨燕卫星与地面望远镜和其他太空观测站一起，提供了大量关于伽马射线爆发及其余辉的数据。Swift上的光学/紫外望远镜（UVOT）是在MSSL设计和建造的，我们拥有一个运营团队，在Swift天文台中发挥主要作用，分析来自Swift的伽马射线暴数据。这个项目是为了让一名博士生与我们的运营团队一起研究伽马射线暴，并利用大量的UVOT数据来进一步了解这些现象性爆炸的物理学：它们是如何被驱动的，相对论性爆炸波是如何将能量沉积到周围的介质中，伽马射线暴发生的环境，祖先恒星可能是什么，以及伽马射线暴告诉我们关于恒星和星系形成的宇宙历史。学生将根据我们最近发现的余辉亮度与余辉消退速度之间的相关性，研究伽马射线和光能量之间的相关性（Oates, Page et al. 2012, MNRAS 426, L26）。学生还将体验实时调查和跟踪伽马射线爆发，从Swift探测到爆发的最初几分钟开始，有机会详细研究学生值班时发生的任何异常爆发。学生将发展这些爆炸的物理的一线理解，并有助于提高这种理解。

项目成果

GRB 171205A/SN 2017iuk: A local low-luminosity gamma-ray burst

• DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201833847
• 发表时间: 2018-10
• 期刊: Astronomy & Astrophysics
• 影响因子: 6.5
• 作者: V. D’Elia;S. Campana;A. D’Aì;M. D. Pasquale;S. Emery;D. Frederiks;A. Lien;A. Melandri;K. Page;R. Starling;D. Burrows;A. Breeveld;S. Oates;P. O’Brien;J. Osborne;M. Siegel;G. Tagliaferri;P. Brown;S. Cenko;D. Svinkin;A. Tohuvavohu;A. Tsvetkova

Swift spectra of AT2018cow: a white dwarf tidal disruption event?

• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stz053
• 发表时间: 2018-08
• 期刊: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: N. Kuin;Kinwah Wu;S. Oates;A. Lien;A. Lien;S. Emery;J. Kennea;M. Pasquale;Qin Han

The early optical afterglow and non-thermal components of GRB 060218

• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stz373
• 发表时间: 2019-02
• 期刊: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: S. Emery;M. Page;A. Breeveld;P. J. Brown;N. Kuin;S. Oates;M. De Pasquale-M.-De Pasquale-2126433425

Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger

双中子星合并的多信使观测

• DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa91c9
• 发表时间: 2017-10-20
• 期刊: ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
• 影响因子: 7.9
• 作者: Abbott, B. P.;Abbott, R.;Woudt, P. A.
• 通讯作者: Woudt, P. A.