HIGH-ENERGY EMISSION AS PROBES OF THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURSTS AND NEUTRON STAR MERGERS

SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURSTS (SGRBS) ARE BELIEVED TO ORIGINATE FROM RELATIVISTIC JETS LAUNCHED BY NEUTRON STAR MERGERS. THE DISCOVERY OF GW170817 AND GRB 170817A RAISED A NEW QUESTION IN THEIR STANDARD PARADIGM. THE OBSERVATIONS HAVE LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODELS THAT INVOLVE A STRUCTURED JET AND A COCOON WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS MODELS WITH ONLY JET CONTRIBUTIONS. WE PROPOSE TO STUDY HIGH-ENERGY GAMMA-RAY AND NEUTRINO EMISSIONS PRODUCED VIA LEPTONIC AND HADRONIC INTERACTIONS WITH A FOCUS ON THE JET-COCOON PARADIGM FOR SGRBS. ACCOMPLISHING THIS PROJECT WILL ENABLE US TO USE HIGH-ENERGY EMISSIONS AS NEW PROBES OF THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SGRBS AND NEUTRINO STAR MERGERS LIKE GW170817.