We introduce the volume that collects the papers presented at the 4th Workshop Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era, held in Rome on October 18-22, 2004. After a general introduction and description of theWorkshop, we briefly

review the hot topics in GRB science which were discussed during the conference and are the subject of many articles included in these proceedings. Finally, we focus on future prospects for GRB science at the beginning of the Swift era and beyond

Amati, L.

Covino, S.

Gendre, B.

Piro, L.

English

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DOI 10.1393/ncc/i2005-10154-9IL NUOVO CIMENTO Vol. 28 C, N. 3 Maggio-Giugno 2005Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era: 4th WorkshopL. Amati(1), S. Covino(2), B. Gendre(3) and L. Piro(3)(1) INAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmicavia P. Gobetti 101, Bologna, Italy(2) INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera - via Bianchi 46, 23807 Merate (LC), Italy(3) INAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmicavia Fosso del Cavaliere, Rome, Italy(ricevuto il 23 Maggio 2005; pubblicato online il 22 Settembre 2005)Summary. — We introduce the volume that collects the papers presented at the4th Workshop Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era, held in Rome on October18-22, 2004. After a general introduction and description of the Workshop, we brieflyreview the hot topics in GRB science which were discussed during the conferenceand are the subject of many articles included in these proceedings. Finally, we focuson future prospects for GRB science at the beginning of the Swift era and beyond.PACS 01.30.Cc – Conference proceedings.1. – IntroductionThis volume of Il Nuovo Cimento C contains the papers presented at the fourthWorkshop on “Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) in the Afterglow Era” held from 18 to 22October 2004 at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Headquarters in Rome,Italy.This was the last of a series of four very successful workshops on GRBs, held atthe same location, started in 1998 at the dawn of the new “afterglow” era opened byBeppoSAX discoveries in 1997 and continued in 2000 and 2002. In particular, this editionmarked the entering of GRB science in the new era just opened by the Swift satellite,which was successfully launched one month after the Workshop and is now providing theexpected steps forward in the field.The success of the previous three conferences on the same topic and the need toprovide the scientific community with an exhaustive review on both observational andtheoretical progress in GRB science just before the beginning of the Swift era promptedus to organize the fourth Workshop. As in the third conference, the organizers wereEnrico Costa (INAF-IASF Rome), Filippo Frontera (Ferrara University and INAF-IASFBologna), Luigi Piro (INAF-IASF Rome), who were also organizers of the first andsecond Workshops, and Guido Chincarini (Astronomical Observatory of Brera, Merateand Bicocca University, Milan), who is heavily involved in the Swift mission.c© Societa` Italiana di Fisica 237238 L. AMATI, S. COVINO, B. GENDRE and L. PIROThe Workshop was very successful, with more than 200 participants, 132 posters, 43oral contributions, 11 solicited and 17 review talks. Despite seven years were alreadypassed from the beginning of the “afterglow era”, further relevant developments of theGRB science still occurred in the two years after the previous Rome workshop, mainlythanks to new observations provided by the satellites HETE-2, INTEGRAL, Konus-Wind, Chandra, XMM, and the largest optical (e.g., VLT, HST, NTT) and radio (e.g.,VLA, NRAO, JCMT) telescopes in the world, to the continued exploitment of BATSEand BeppoSAX archival data and to the efforts of theorists.In next two sections we briefly review the main observational and theoretical topicswhich were discussed during the conference and in the last section we review presentand future GRB experiments which were presented at the workshop and are expected toprovide new insights towards the solution of this intriguing astrophysical phenomenon.2. – ObservationsThe talks and posters covered nearly all the observational aspects of GRB science.Nice reviews were given on X- and gamma-ray prompt emission properties, X-Ray Flashes(XRFs), X-ray afterglow properties, optical and radio counterparts, dark GRBs, hostgalaxies, GRB/SN connection, circum-burst environment.Also “mission-based” reviews were presented, like the new results coming from system-atic studies of data from HETE-2, INTEGRAL, Konus/WIND and the IPN, concerningprompt emission, and Chandra and XMM concerning X-ray afterglow emission.One of the major improvements with respect the the 2002 Workshop concern theGRB/SN connection, with the detection and multi-wavelength study of GRB030329/SN2003dh (detected by HETE-2), the GRB most clearly associated with a SN afterGRB980425/SN1998bw, and of GRB031203/SN2003lw (detected by INTEGRAL/ISGRI), the closest (z ∼ 0.1) event after GRB980425 and the most similar to it un-der several respects.Another interesting issue, also discussed at the conference, was that of polarizationmeasurements, both of prompt emission (in particular the debated case of GRB021206)and afterglow emission.A hot topic that gained interest in the last two years, thanks to the substantiallyincreased number of GRBs with estimated redshift, and was the subject of reviews anddiscussions in the Workshop was that of correlations between GRBs intensity indicators(radiated energy, luminosity, peak luminosity) and temporal (time lag, variability) orspectral (peak energy) properties. Particular attention was given to spectral energycorrelations (Ep-Eiso and Ep-Eγ) for their implications on GRB emission mechanismsand geometry and for their potential use to estimate cosmological parameters and/orbuild up redshift indicators.Finally, it was shown that the exploitment of archival data is still providing newexciting results, like the bi-modality of the autocorrelation function of BATSE GRBs,the refined and completed analysis of BeppoSAX data of GRB990123, complemented bymulti wavelength observations, and the X- to gamma-ray spectral evolution of BeppoSAXbursts.GAMMA-RAY BURSTs IN THE AFTERGLOW ERA: 4th WORKSHOP 2393. – TheoryThe hottest theoretical aspects of the GRB science were reviewed and discussed atthe Workshop. The current emission models of the prompt and afterglow emission werewidely discussed (internal and external shocks, magnetic acceleration, MHD winds fromneutrons stars, cannonballs), with reviews of the most recent versions. The relevance ofpolarization studies for the understanding of GRB emission mechanisms and geometrywas outlined. Particular attention was given to the early phases of the afterglow and theconnection between prompt and afterglow emission, the investigation of which is one ofthe main goals of Swift. Also the long wavelength emission expected from the reverseshock was discussed, in view of the expectation that Swift will allow the prompt follow-upof several GRBs with optical and IR robotic telescopes.The progenitor models of GRBs (e.g., collapsar, supranova, coalescing compact bi-naries, EMBH) and their capabilities of explaining the observed prompt and delayedproperties of GRBs have been widely discussed, including the formation of cocoons andthe possible origin of precursors.The jet structures of GRBs, the properties of the circum-burst environment and theirimplications were discussed by various speakers. In particular, in the last two years thegrowing observational evidence that GRBs and XRFs have a common origin imposessevere constraints on jet models. Comparisons between observations and the predictionsof the main classes of jet and XRF/GRB unification models (uniform jets, universalstructured jets, off-axis models) were presented and widely discussed; also new kinds ofjet structure (like the structured Fisher jet) were proposed. Possible mechanisms for theorigin of jets (e.g., based on MHD or acceleration by muons and pairs) were also discussed.One of the main and currently most debated topics was the possible use of GRBs as atool, in particular for the estimate of cosmological parameters but also to trace the starformation rate of the universe. Another interesting discussed issue was the connectionbetween SGR and GRBs, in particular the growing idea that short GRBs may be giantoutbursts from very distant magnetars.Finally, GRBs as possible sources of high-energy particles, cosmic rays, neutrinos andgravitational waves have been reviewed.4. – Future experiments: the Swift era and beyondThe major attention was off course given to the Swift satellite, a project involv-ing USA, UK and Italy for the hardware and management of the mission and severalmembers of the GRB community worldwide for its full scientific exploitation, which wassuccessfully launched on November 20, 2004, just one month after the workshop. Thepayload, science goals, mission management and data distribution and archival policyof Swift were exhaustively reported and discussed. Several talks concentrated also onthe Swift follow-up with optical, IR, radio telescopes, focusing in particular on robotictelescopes like REM, BOOTES, PROMPT. The status and capabilities of GRB experi-ments on-board X-/gamma-ray astronomy missions underway (e.g., ASTRO-E2, AGILE,GLAST) were highlighted at the workshop. Finally, some new concepts for GRB exper-iments for the next decade (i.e. after 2010-2015) were presented, like the ESTREMOproject, ECLAIRS the GRB Monitor for Lobster-ISS.240 L. AMATI, S. COVINO, B. GENDRE and L. PIROTable I. – Scientific Advisory Committee.R. Blandford California Institute of Technology, USAG. Chincarini (Co-chair) Bicocca University, MilanAstronomical Observatory of Brera, Merate, ItalyE. Costa (Co-chair) IASF/INAF, Rome, ItalyC. Dermer US Naval Research Laboratory, USAD. Frail NRAO, Socorro, USAF. Frontera (Co-chair) University of Ferrara and IASF/INAF, Bologna, ItalyN. Gehrels GSFC/NASA, Greenbelt, USAK. Hurley University of California, Berkeley, USAN. Kawai Tokyo Institute of Technology, JapanA. Koenigl University of Chicago, USAC. Kouveliotou Universities Space Res.Association, MSFC/NASA,Huntsville, USAS. Kulkarni Caltech, Pasadena, USAD. Lamb University of Chicago, Chicago, USAP. Me´sza´ros Penn State University, University Park, USAL. Piro (Co-chair) IASF/INAF, Rome, ItalyM. Rees IoA, Cambridge University, United KingdomG. Ricker MIT, Boston, USAL. Stella Astronomical Observatory of Rome, Monte Porzio, ItalyM. Tavani IASF/INAF, Rome, ItalyG. Vedrenne CESR/CNRS, Toulouse, FranceM. Vietri Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, ItalyR. Wijers University of Amsterdam, the NetherlandsS. Woosley UCSC, Santa Cruz, USATable II. – Local Organizing Committee.G. Ardizzoia CIFS, ItalyS. Covino INAF, Oss. Brera, ItalyS. Di Cosimo IASF/CNR, Rome, ItalyG. Di Persio IASF/CNR, Rome, ItalyG. Gandolfi (Chair) IASF/CNR, Rome, ItalyM. Orlandini IASF/CNR, Bologna, ItalyThe Workshop organization was managed by the INAF Institutes—Istituto diAstrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica (IASF), sections of Rome and Bologna, and BreraAstronomical Observatory, Merate, Italy, with a contribution from Consorzio Inter-universitario per la Fisica Spaziale (CIFS). Many people contributed to the success ofthe Fourth Workshop on GRBs. We wish to thank all the members of the ScientificAdvisory (see table I) and the Local Organizing (see table II) Committees, in particular:the other organizers of the Workshop (E. Costa, F. Frontera and G. Chincarini),S. di Cosimo for his important contribution to the local organization, M. Orlandini,for managing the web page of the Workshop, G. Di Persio for managing the computersystem and G. Gandolfi for managing the local organization. We also thank for theirhelp during the conference A. Corsi, V. D’Alessio, A. Galli and L. Vetere.We wish to thank Aldo Spizzichino for his original design and skillful realizationof the Workshop poster. We are grateful to our sponsor OLIDATA.

Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era: 4th Workshop

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Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era: 4th Workshop

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