What is the beaming effect of a GRB and why is it important?
The beaming effect is a measure of how focused the energy release from a GRB is. If an explosion confines its energy release into one direction, as a flashlight does, the total energy output may then be substantially smaller than that inferred from an isotropic release (radiating equally in all directions). The beaming effect is the single most important source of uncertainties in inferring the total energy release of a GRB from the radiation flux observed by astronomers.
