Date:  Wednesday, March 8, 1995
Time:  4:15 PM   Refreshments at 4:00
Location:  ERL 126


The Enigmatic Cosmic Gamma Ray Burst


Prof. Vahe Petrosian
Physics Department/Stanford University


Abstract



Nearly thirty years after their discovery Gamma-Ray Bursts remain a
mystery.  The primary reason for this is their short durations and
variable light curves which has made it difficult to identify them with
known sources and determine their distances. Speculated distances have
ranged from several Astronomical Units to Billions of parsecs with
correspondingly varied speculation about the models.  The observations,
particularly those from the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, will be
reviewed and some of the theoretical models will be described.