11/21/13: Edo Berger SO/NOAO Joint Colloquium Series
Edo Berger, Harvard University
Short Gamma-Ray Bursts and the Electromagnetic Counterparts of Gravitational Wave Sources
Abstract:
Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous and energetic explosions known in the universe. They appear in two varieties: long- and short-duration. The long GRB result from the core-collapse of massive stars, but until recently the origin of the short GRBs was shrouded in mystery. In this talk I will present several lines of evidence that point to the merger of compact objects binaries (NS-NS and/or NS-BH) as the progenitor systems of short GRBs. Within this framework, the observational data also allow us to independently determine the merger rate of these systems as input to the Advanced LIGO event rate, to infer the merger distribution timescale, and to determine the energy scale of the mergers. In addition, using radio to X-ray observations of short GRBs we can study the expected electromagnetic properties of Advanced LIGO sources.
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