The discovery of the shortest gamma-ray burst, fueled by an unexpected source



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Using the Gemini International Observatory, a program of NSF NOIRLab, astronomers identified the cause of the 0.6-second gamma wave as a supernova explosion in a distant galaxy.

The team claims, according to the “Russia Today” website, that the shortest gamma-ray burst occurred by a supernova and not by the fusion of two neutron stars, as predicted by its length.

The gamma rays caused by supernovae are generally longer than double what was recorded in this discovery.

Conventionally, phenomena of this type fall into two categories: short and long, lasting less than and greater than two seconds. The longer explosions are thought to be caused by supernovae and the shorter ones by the fusion of neutron stars.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are among the brightest and most energetic events in the universe, but scientists are still trying to determine exactly what causes these fleeting events.

However, the recent discovery of the shorter gamma-ray burst does not fit this traditional split, says Thomas Ahomada, one of the research team members.

“This discovery represents the shortest gamma ray emission from a supernova during the collapse of a massive star,” said Ahomada, who led the research and holds a doctorate at the University of Maryland and astronomer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. On the edge of the abyss between successful and failed gamma-ray bursts.

The team believe that this and other types of gamma-ray bursts associated with supernovae appear short because the gamma-ray jets emanating from the poles of a collapsing star are not strong enough to completely escape from it. star and almost fail to produce gamma radiation. ray bursts, and that other collapsing stars have such jets, faint stars that do not produce gamma ray bursts at all.

This discovery could also help explain an astronomical mystery, as this hypothesis could explain why more supernovae of the specific type are observed associated with this phenomenon than the long gamma-ray bursts themselves.

Using the Gemini International Observatory, a program of NSF NOIRLab, astronomers identified the cause of the 0.6-second gamma wave as a supernova explosion in a distant galaxy.

The team says the shorter gamma-ray burst was caused by a supernova, not the fusion of two neutron stars, as predicted from its length.

The gamma rays caused by supernovae are generally longer than double what was recorded in this discovery.

Conventionally, phenomena of this type fall into two categories: short and long, lasting less than and greater than two seconds. The longer explosions are thought to be caused by supernovae and the shorter ones by the fusion of neutron stars.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are among the brightest and most energetic events in the universe, but scientists are still trying to determine exactly what causes these fleeting events.

However, the recent discovery of the shorter gamma-ray burst does not fit this traditional split, says Thomas Ahomada, one of the research team members.

“This discovery represents the shortest gamma ray emission from a supernova during the collapse of a massive star,” said Ahomada, who led the research and holds a doctorate at the University of Maryland and a astronomer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. On the edge of the abyss between successful and failed gamma-ray bursts.

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