Short Gamma Ray Bursts: marking the birth of black holes from coalescing compact binaries

TL;DR

This paper reviews the early 2008 understanding of short gamma-ray bursts, focusing on their origins, physics, and emission properties in electromagnetic and gravitational waves, highlighting their connection to coalescing compact binaries and black hole formation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive summary of observational and theoretical insights into short gamma-ray bursts as of 2008, emphasizing their link to black hole birth from binary mergers.

Findings

Short gamma-ray bursts are linked to coalescing compact binaries.

They are associated with black hole formation.

Emission properties include electromagnetic and gravitational wave signals.

Abstract

This contribution summarizes, as of early 2008, the observational and theoretical understanding of the origin, physics, and emission properties of short gamma-ray bursts in both electromagnetic and gravitational waves.