Shake, Rattle and Explode: Short GRBs and the Electromagnetic Counterparts of Gravitational Wave Sources
The bimodality of gamma-ray burst (GRB) durations points to distinct progenitor
classes for the long- and short-duration GRBs. While the progenitors of
long-duration GRBs are now known to be massive stars, the progenitors of
short-duration GRBs remain unidentified. In this talk I will discuss the
discovery of short GRB afterglow and their host galaxies, detailed studies of
their environments from parsec to galactic scales, and studies of their
energetics and beaming. Taken together, these observations point to the
coalescence of NS-NS/NS-BH binaries as the most likely progenitors. With the
upcoming Advanced LIGO/VIRGO gravitational wave detectors it is therefore
possible that short GRBs will be the first detected sources, and I will discuss
various approaches to making this connection between gravitational wave and
electromagnetic sources.
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~eberger/Edo_Berger_Harvard/Main_Page.html