THE INTERACTION BETWEEN GAMMA-RAY BURSTS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) are the most energetic and most relativistic phenomenon in the Universe. Understanding the nature of their progenitors is among the primary efforts of current research in high energy astrophysics, and their unmatched luminosity and other properties makes them ideal cosmological probes. This review summarizes the observational effects resulting from the interaction between the longer-wavelength radiation accompanying GRBs and their close environment. In particular, it discusses signatures that, in addition to providing powerful clues on the GRB progenitors, can also shed light on the physical characteristics, such as metallicity and dust content, of the GRB host galaxies. The last part of the article reviews the long-term signatures imprinted in the medium after a GRB explosion, particularly focusing on how we can identify GRB remnants in our own and nearby galaxies, and what we can learn from their identification.