Speaker: Edna Ruiz Velasco (LAPP/CNRS, Annecy, France)
Title: Observation of very-high-energy photons in Gamma-ray Bursts
Speaker: Gamma-ray bursts (GRB) are considered the most energetic objects in the universe, emitting more than 10^50 ergs in their main episode that lasts for a few seconds. After more than five decades since their discovery, the first detection of very-high-energy (VHE) photons in GRBs was achieved in 2018, which (somehow) initiated an avalanche of VHE detections of other GRBs in the subsequent years. I will explain the challenge that the detection of GRBs at VHE poses, given their transient and extragalactic nature. I will detail how these detections, together with the observation at other wavelengths, have provided critical insights into the mechanisms of particle acceleration and gamma-ray emission operating in these phenomena. Lastly, I will discuss the expected prospects for current and future VHE observatories with a solid emphasis on the CTAO and SWGO observatories and how they may contribute to answering the many open questions surrounding the physics of GRBs.