Gamma Ray Burst origin and their afterglow: story of a discovery and more

TL;DR

This paper reviews the discovery of Gamma Ray Burst afterglows by BeppoSAX, highlighting its significance in establishing their cosmological origins and discussing subsequent progress and open questions in the field.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the historical discovery, scientific impact, and ongoing research related to Gamma Ray Bursts and their afterglows.

Findings

BeppoSAX discovery confirmed cosmological distances of GRBs

The afterglow detection revolutionized GRB research

Open issues remain in understanding GRB progenitors

Abstract

In this paper we review the story of the BeppoSAX discovery of the Gamma Ray Burst afterglow and their cosmological distance, starting from their first detection with Vela satellites and from the efforts done before BeppoSAX. We also discuss the consequences of the BeppoSAX discovery, the issues left open by BeppoSAX, the progress done up to now and its perspectives.