Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
6963
pubmed:dateCreated
2003-11-17
pubmed:abstractText
The association of a supernova with GRB030329 strongly supports the 'collapsar' model of gamma-ray bursts, where a relativistic jet forms after the progenitor star collapses. Such jets cannot be spatially resolved because gamma-ray bursts lie at cosmological distances; their existence is instead inferred from 'breaks' in the light curves of the afterglows, and from the theoretical desire to reduce the estimated total energy of the burst by proposing that most of it comes out in narrow beams. Temporal evolution of the polarization of the afterglows may provide independent evidence for the jet structure of the relativistic outflow. Small-level polarization ( approximately 1-3 per cent) has been reported for a few bursts, but its temporal evolution has yet to be established. Here we report polarimetric observations of the afterglow of GRB030329. We establish the polarization light curve, detect sustained polarization at the per cent level, and find significant variability. The data imply that the afterglow magnetic field has a small coherence length and is mostly random, probably generated by turbulence, in contrast with the picture arising from the high polarization detected in the prompt gamma-rays from GRB021206 (ref. 18).
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:status
PubMed-not-MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
1476-4687
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:day
13
pubmed:volume
426
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
157-9
pubmed:year
2003
pubmed:articleTitle
Evolution of the polarization of the optical afterglow of the gamma-ray burst GRB030329.
pubmed:affiliation
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, 85741 Garching, Germany. jcg@mpe.mpg.de
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article