Savitribai Phule Pune University |
Title | Modeling and Prediction of the Rate of Gamma-Ray Bursts |
Speaker |
Debdutta Paul,
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai
Debdutta Paul is pursuing his Ph.D. in Astrophysics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, India. |
Date & Time | Wednesday, 21 February 2018 | 17:30-18:30 |
Venue |
Kelkar Laboratory Centre for Modeling and Simulation, Savitribai Phule Pune University |
Abstract | Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most violent explosions in the universe, outshining their host galaxies by several orders of magnitude in their short lifespans spanning few seconds. Discovered serendipitously by the US military satellites Vela, they remained an enigma for several decades until the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory finally localized them in the sky and placed them at extragalactic distances. Theoretical and observational research firmly classified them into the long and short duration GRBs: the long kind associated with the collapse of massive stars into black holes, and the short kind associated with the mergers of neutron star binaries concurrent with the emission of gravitational waves. As common in astronomy, measuring the distance to individual bursts and hence their intrinsic luminosities is a challenging problem. In my recent works on both the long and short duration GRBs, I have carried out an extensive study of the question of measuring their distances via an alternative method proposed in the literature, and examined whether GRBs can be used as distance-indicators in the cosmic ladder. I have then modeled the 'luminosity function' of both long and short GRBs, and used them to predict the rate of bursts detectable by a new space-based mission as well as place tight constraints on the rate of binary neutron star mergers detected by the advanced LIGO/VIRGO collaborations in the upcoming and future runs. |
Organizer/Host | Shalmalee Kapse, Centre for Modeling and Simulation, Savitribai Phule Pune University |
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