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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Astrophysics and Astronomy

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

2008

Gamma-ray bursts

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

An Investigation Of The Origin The Bimodal Distribution Of Optical Afterglow Luminosities Of Gamma-Ray Bursts, Tesla Birnbaum, Bing Zhang Aug 2008

An Investigation Of The Origin The Bimodal Distribution Of Optical Afterglow Luminosities Of Gamma-Ray Bursts, Tesla Birnbaum, Bing Zhang

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

The determination of which properties of gamma-ray bursts and the surrounding interstellar medium contribute to the observed bimodal distribution of optical afterglow luminosities will provide insight into the physical processes that give rise to the two families of optical afterglows. Making this determination will require a solid understanding of the standard afterglow model, as well as the use of a language such as C to create programs consisting of codes that perform calculations involving afterglow parameters and Monte Carlo simulations.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs): the brightest sources of electromagnetic radiation since the Big Bang; also the most violent explosions in the …