Gravitational waves and gamma-ray bursts

TL;DR

This paper reviews how combining electromagnetic and gravitational wave observations enhances understanding of gamma-ray burst progenitors and emphasizes the importance of joint searches, including in the absence of gamma-ray triggers.

Contribution

It provides an overview of multi-messenger approaches to studying gamma-ray bursts and highlights the potential of joint electromagnetic and gravitational wave observations to test progenitor models.

Findings

Joint electromagnetic and gravitational wave observations improve progenitor understanding.

Multi-messenger searches can detect gamma-ray bursts without gamma-ray triggers.

Multi-messenger data can distinguish between different progenitor models like magnetars.

Abstract

Gamma-Ray Bursts are likely associated with a catastrophic energy release in stellar mass objects. Electromagnetic observations provide important, but indirect information on the progenitor. On the other hand, gravitational waves emitted from the central source, carry direct information on its nature. In this context, I give an overview of the multi-messenger study of gamma-ray bursts that can be carried out by using electromagnetic and gravitational wave observations. I also underline the importance of joint electromagnetic and gravitational wave searches, in the absence of a gamma-ray trigger. Finally, I discuss how multi-messenger observations may probe alternative gamma-ray burst progenitor models, such as the magnetar scenario.