Spectroscopic limits on the distance and energy release of GRB 990123

Numerical Hydrodynamics in Special Relativity

This review is concerned with a discussion of numerical methods for the solution of the equations of special relativistic hydrodynamics (SRHD). Particular emphasis is put on a comprehensive review of the application of high-resolution shock-capturing methods in SRHD. Results obtained with different numerical SRHD methods are compared, and two astrophysical applications of SRHD flows are discussed. An evaluation of the various numerical methods is given and future developments are analyzed.

ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.12942/lrr-1999-3.

Decay of the GRB 990123 optical afterglow: implications for the fireball model

Broad-band (ultraviolet to near-infrared) observations of the intense gamma ray burst GRB 990123 started approximately 8.5 hours after the event and continued until 18 February 1999. When combined with other data, in particular from the Robotic Telescope and Transient Source Experiment (ROTSE) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), evidence emerges for a smoothly declining light curve, suggesting some color dependence that could be related to a cooling break passing the ultraviolet-optical band at about 1 day after the high-energy event. The steeper decline rate seen after 1.5 to 2 days may be evidence for a collimated jet pointing toward the observer.