Speaker
Description
The observed GRB (170817A) that followed GW170817 confirmed the longstanding prediction of association of short GRBs with neutron star mergers. The unique large scale observational campaign that followed provided numerous surprising observations. I discuss past predictions concerning binary mergers. I then turn to current observations of GW 170817 and its EM counterpart and their interpretation that lead to deciphering of the exact geometry of this event and their implications. I also discuss future prospects of joint detection of GRBs and GW signals. Among the latter, most exciting is the possibility that the gravitational waves observations will teach us about the nature of the inner engine and the acceleration process of relativistic jets.
