Speaker
Description
As the most energetic explosions in the Universe, relativistic astrophysical transients such as Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) provide a unique opportunity to explore physics at extreme energy scales that are otherwise impossible to investigate in Earth-bound laboratories. I will demonstrate the power of radio polarimetric observations, combined with theoretical modeling, in teasing apart the physics of these energetic explosions. I will review the status of radio polarimetric observations of GRB afterglows, and present the first discovery of polarized radio emission with the radio afterglow of GRB 190114C. I will describe how ALMA's unparalleled sensitivity for photometric and polarimetric observations is leading to new insights into the structure, composition, and magnetization of GRB jets. I will conclude by highlighting the current and future role of mm-band polarimetry in the ongoing multi-messenger revolution in extragalactic time-domain astrophysics.
