Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jul 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001hst..prop.9180k&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #9180
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Hst Proposal Id #9180 Galaxies
Scientific paper
Gamma-ray burst astronomy is a field maturing at a phenomenal rate. Only three years after the discovery of fading long- wavelength counterparts, we now have distance measurements for dozens of events, we have developed a detailed theoretical framework for understanding the X-ray - radio afterglow lightcurves, and observational evidence now ties the progenitors of long GRBs {those studied to-date} to the collapse of massive stars. While progress has been rapid, three important new observational and theoretical discoveries, formulated over the last twelve months, allow us to address new and in many cases more sophisticated questions than could have been posed a year ago. These developments: the discovery of X-ray lines in GRB 991216; the observation that N_H as deduced from X-ray afterglow are one to two orders of magnitude larger than the dust extinction inferred from optical afterglow; and the growing realization that the afterglow emission may exhibit features of dust echoes, appear to offer unexpected and new diagnostics that will directly inform us about the progenitor, the circum-progenitor material and the immediate interstellar environs. These motivate us to propose an aggressive program for cycle 10. As one of the most actively evolving areas in astronomy today, we anticipate the contributions of HST to be part of the foundations of this new and important field.
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