Stefano Covino: Polarimetry for optical GRB afterglows

Dr. Stefano Covino,  INAF - Brera Astronomical Observatory

Polarimetry for optical GRB afterglows

The study of polarisation from astrophysical sources is an important
tool to derive fundamental information about emission processes,
source geometry, interstellar medium, etc. However, it is also well
known that optical polarimetry is a rather difficult technique,
requiring high S/N, large telescopes and delicate data analysis to
give meaningful results.
In spite of that, optical polarimetry in the context of GRB afterglow
studies, have always been considered one of the best available probes
to discriminate among competitor models, to derive information about
the source evolution, etc. In this talk I will review the best
results obtained so far with optical polarimetry of GRB afterglows,
and discuss in some detail the most promising advancements for the
future.