Seminars 2025/26

The seminars are open to anyone from the university, students are encouraged to attend. This page will be updated as more speakers are confirmed.

Next Seminar: April 29th

Dr. Samantha Oates (University of Lancaster)

Exploring the behaviour of Gamma-ray Bursts with an intrinsic afterglow correlation

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are intense flashes of gamma-rays that are usually accompanied by an afterglow, longer-lived emission that may be detected at X-ray to radio wavelengths. They are the final stages of stellar evolution: either the collapse of massive stars or binary mergers. Studies of single GRBs provide exceptional detail on the behaviour and physical properties of individual events. However, statistical analyses of large samples of GRBs aim to identify common characteristics and correlations that link individual events, thereby providing insight into the mechanisms shared by GRBs. In this talk, I will present the latest results investigating a correlation observed in GRB afterglows between the initial luminosity and average afterglow decay rate. I will show how this correlation, initially found at optical and X-ray wavelengths, is observed across the electromagnetic spectrum from the GeV range through to the radio. I will discuss this correlation in the context of other GRB correlations. Finally, I will explore the origin of this correlation, whether it is consistent with expectations from the standard afterglow model, and its implications.

Semester 1

Semester 2