Gamma-ray Bursts in the Era of Multi-Messenger Astronomy
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are one of the most energetic explosions in the universe, and can be observed across a wide range of wavelengths (from radio to GeV). Moreover, the recent discovery of GW170817/GRB170817A provides the first direct evidence that at least some short GRBs (bursts with duration <~ 2 s) originate from compact object mergers. This detection marks the significant breakthrough for multi-messenger astronomy. In this talk, I will review our current understanding of GRBs, and present summaries of GRB observations from several major instruments for GRB studies, including the Neil Gehrels Swift observatory and Fermi gamma-ray space telescope.
Catching Electromagnetic Counterparts for Gravitational Waves Events
The recent discovery of GW170817/GRB170817A marks the first joint detection of gravitational waves and associated electromagnetic radiation, which opens a new window to study compact objects and stellar astrophysics. In this talk, I will review the discovery and ongoing observations of GW170817/GRB170817A. I will also discuss the continuing work on searching for electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave events, both in the archival data and for upcoming LIGO observing runs.
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