Gamma-Ray Bursts, witnessing the birth of stellar mass black holes

TL;DR

This review explains gamma-ray bursts as signals of black hole formation from stellar explosions or mergers, highlighting their astrophysical importance and the role of satellites in detection.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of GRB types, progenitors, beaming, and rates, emphasizing the significance of high-energy satellites in GRB detection.

Findings

Different types of gamma-ray bursts are linked to specific progenitors.

High-energy satellites are crucial for early GRB detection and localization.

GRBs serve as important probes of black hole formation and cosmic events.

Abstract

Gamma-ray bursts are associated with catastrophic cosmic events. They appear when a new black hole, created after the explosion of a massive star or the merger of two compact stars, quickly accretes the matter around it and ejects a transient relativistic jet in our direction. This review discusses the various types of gamma-ray bursts, their progenitors, their beaming and their rate in the local universe. We emphasize the broad astrophysical interest of GRB studies, and the crucial role of high-energy satellites as exclusive suppliers of GRB alerts and initial locations.