Speaker
Description
The roles of radiation-mediated shocks (RMSs) in the prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been thoroughly investigated theoretically. However, so far, no such model has been fitted to data due to the computational complexity of simulating RMSs from first principles. We aim to bridge this gap between theory and observation. In this talk, I will present an approximate model called the Kompaneets RMS approximation (KRA) that we have developed for this purpose, which is based on the similar evolution of the photon spectrum in an RMS and in repeated Compton scatterings with high-energy, thermal electrons. With this analogy we can accurately replicate spectra generated by a full-scale RMS simulation using a fraction of the computing time, allowing us to probe a large enough parameter space to fit the model to data. Finally, I illustrate the capabilities of the KRA by performing a fit to a non-thermal spectrum in GRB 150314. With the KRA, we can deduce properties of the original RMS, which allow us to get a better understanding of the dynamics below the photosphere.
