Gamma‐Ray Burst Early Afterglows

The successful launch and operation of NASA’s Swift Gamma‐Ray Burst Explorer open a new era for a multi‐wavelength study of the very early afterglow phase of gamma‐ray bursts (GRBs). GRB early afterglow information is very essential to explore the unknown physical composition of GRB jets, the link between the prompt γ‐ray emission and the afterglow emission, the GRB central engine activity, as well as the immediate GRB environment. Here I review some of the recent theoretical efforts to address these problems and describe how the latest Swift data give answers to these outstanding questions.