The Shocking Universe - Gamma-Ray Bursts and High Energy Shock phenomena in the Universe

Topics and Abstract

Abstract

The launch of the Swift mission ushered in a new era of rapid detection, accurate localization and multi-band observations of prompt emission and early afterglows of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), which are among the most energetic, relativistic stellar sources of radiation.
An impressive number of discoveries sprang out of the Swift and related ground-based data, such as the discovery of X-ray flares, the canonical X-ray afterglow curve phases, the afterglows of short bursts, the X-ray bursts associated with the shock break-out of SN explosions, the unprecedented study of a naked-eye burst, GRB080319B that seems to support a two jets model. Moreover, the growing number of GRBs with measured distance and the large multi-wavelength data sets collected with various instruments by the world-wide community are allowing the scientists to tackle several key issues, such as the luminosity function, the emission mechanisms, the role of jets, the role of magnetic field in the GRB shocks physics, the progenitor environments. GRBs may become a unique tool for cosmology.
The recent launch of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (formerly GLAST) Satellite open a new era for the high energy astrophysics and highly variable phenomena generated by relativistic and non relativistic shocks. The broad spectral coverage and the often planned simultaneous observations with the Swift satellite, where also the rapid pointing will be an asset, are expected to give unique results. In particular it will provide a unique opportunity to collect data on individual GRBs over the broadest energy range and to explore the very high-energy end of GRB emission processes to properly estimate the spectral parameters and their time evolution. AGILE will also contribute to all this.
The goal of the conference is to offer the opportunity for reviewing the current status of our knowledge on GRBs and high energy phenomena, to discuss open issues and the expectations from future experiments. Possibly it will be a starting point for refined modeling. We will therefore cover topics regarding the observations, new findings and the theoretical models.

Topics

  • GRB Prompt Emission properties and physics
  • Afterglow and circum-stellar environment
  • High Energy phenomena in the Universe
  • High Energy and accretion on relativistic objects
  • GRB-SN connection
  • Short GRBs
  • Host Galaxies
  • Cosmology and high energy astrophysics