Theory of GRB Afterglow

Abstract.

The most interesting current open question in the theory of GRB afterglow is the propagation of jetted afterglows during the sideway expansion phase. Recent numerical simulations show hydrodynamic behavior that differs from the one suggested by simple analytic models. Still, somewhat surprisingly, the calculated light curves show a ‘jet break’ at about the expected time. These results suggest that the expected rate of orphan optical afterglows should be smaller than previously estimated.