Gamma-Ray Bursts: The brightest explosions in the Universe (Springer Praxis Books)

Since their discovery was first announced in 1973, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been among the most fascination objects in the universe. While the initial mystery has gone, the fascination continues, sustained by the close connection linking GRBs with some of the most fundamental topics in modern astrophysics and cosmology. Both authors have been active in GRB observations for over two decades and have produced an outstanding account on both the history and the perspectives of GRB research. "Since their discovery was first announced in 1973, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been among the most fascinating objects in the universe. While the initial mystery has gone, the fascination continues, sustained by the close connection linking GRBs with some of the most fundamental topics in modern astrophysics and cosmology. Both authors have been active in GRB observations for over two decades and have produced an outstanding account on both the history and the perspectives of GRB research."--Jacket Front Matter....Pages i-xxxix The early times....Pages 1-48 The BATSE decade....Pages 49-86 BeppoSAX and the afterglow era....Pages 87-133 HETE-2 and Swift....Pages 135-218 Gamma-ray bursts—fireballs and blastwaves....Pages 219-258 Gamma-ray burst afterglows....Pages 259-329 Early afterglows: the Swift revolution....Pages 331-384 Progenitors....Pages 385-476 Perspectives in gamma-ray burst science....Pages 477-565 Back Matter....Pages 567-584