Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are cosmic flashes of high-energy radiation and the brightest sources of electromagnetic radiation ever detected, with luminosities exceeding 10^51 erg/s. They can be classified into two classes by their duration, long and short GRBs (LGRBs and SGRBs respectively), both of which have been found to be associated with other transient phenomena. LGRBs are associated with a particular class of broad-line type Ic supernovae, while the recent discovery of GRB 170817A, associated with the gravitational wave signal GW 170817A, has confirmed the hypothesis that at least some SGRBs are connected with the mergers of compact binaries. GRBs could also be linked to other extreme transient events like the recently identified Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). New gravitational wave and radio facilities are providing an additional level of information to help us relate compact binary mergers to SGRBs and other transient phenomena. Future missions and observatories such as SVOM, ELT, JWST, LSST and ATHENA will further our understanding of the connection between GRBs and star formation, increasing their use as cosmic probes. Moreover, these facilities, along with CTA and SKA, will advance our knowledge of the prompt and afterglow emission, which will enable us the study the broad-band emission from GRBs with very high sensitivity from the GeV through to the radio. Finally, continual computational improvements are providing very detailed and complex models that probe the underlying physics behind these extreme stellar explosions.

The sizable GRB community in Europe and worldwide has taken advantage of recent advances in ground and space facilities. GRBs can address questions across a wide range of fields, and as part of this symposium we will seek to reach out to experts across these areas, as well as those working in GRBs themselves.

Programme

This Session aims to gather experts in the field of GRBs, SNe and compact binary mergers, and FRBs either with multi-messenger/wavelength observations or with theoretical modeling, in areas such as:

-Progenitor systems and central engines, and their roles as GW and neutrino sources; -Links among GRBs, supernovae, compact object mergers and FRBs; - Mechanisms producing the multi-wavelength GRB afterglow emission and the extremely bright GRB prompt emission; - The circumburst medium of energetic stellar explosions: from the local surroundings to the host galaxy properties, from the local Universe to the Dark Ages; - Present and future, ground and orbital multi-messenger observatories to study the most powerful stellar deaths.

Invited speakers

• M. Della Valle (Naples Observatory)
• A. Gomboc (University of Nova Gorica)
• S. Savaglio (University of Calabria)

Scientific organisers

Chair: Massimiliano De Pasquale (Istanbul University). Patricia Schady (U. of Bath). Samantha R. Oates (U. Warwick). Emeric Le Floc'h (CEA). Marica Branchesi (Gran Sasso Science Institute).

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