Gamma-ray burst afterglows from trans-relativistic blast waves

Abstract

We present a study of the intermediate regime between ultra-relativistic and nonrelativistic flow for gamma-ray burst afterglows. The hydrodynamics of spherically symmetric blast waves is numerically calculated using the AMRVAC adaptive mesh refinement code. Spectra and light curves are calculated using a separate radiation code that, for the first time, links a parametrisation of the microphysics of shock acceleration, synchrotron self-absorption and electron cooling to a high-performance hydrodynamics simulation.

small two-page contribution to conference proceedings "The Shocking Universe. Gamma-ray Bursts and High Energy Shock Phenomena". Venice, 14-18 September 2009