Jump to content

Gamma-ray burst

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromGamma ray burst)
Artist's illustration showing the life of astar#Massive star starasnuclear fusionconverts lighter elements into heavier ones. When fusion no longer generates enough pressure to counteract gravity, the star rapidly collapses to form ablack hole.Theoretically, energy may be released during the collapse along the axis of rotation to form a GRB.

Ingamma-ray astronomy,gamma-ray bursts(GRBs) are immensely energetic explosions that have been observed in distantgalaxies,being the brightest and most extreme explosive events in the entire universe,[1][2][3]asNASAdescribes the bursts as the "most powerful class of explosions in the universe".[4]They are the most energetic and luminouselectromagnetic eventssince theBig Bang.[5][6]Gamma-ray bursts can last from ten milliseconds to several hours.[7][8]After the initial flash ofgamma rays,an "afterglow" is emitted, which is longer lived and usually emitted at longer wavelengths (X-ray,ultraviolet,optical,infrared,microwaveandradio).[9]

The intense radiation of most observed GRBs is thought to be released during asupernovaorsuperluminous supernovaas a high-massstarimplodes to form aneutron staror ablack hole.A subclass of GRBs appears to originate from the merger ofbinaryneutron stars.[10]

The sources of most GRBs are billions oflight yearsaway fromEarth,implying that the explosions are both extremely energetic (a typical burst releases as much energy in a few seconds as theSunwill in its entire 10-billion-year lifetime)[11]and extremely rare (a few per galaxy per million years[12]). All observed GRBs have originated from outside theMilky Way galaxy,although a related class of phenomena,soft gamma repeaters,are associated withmagnetarswithin the Milky Way. It has been hypothesized that a gamma-ray burst in theMilky Way,pointing directly towards the Earth, could cause amass extinctionevent.[13]TheLate Ordovician mass extinctionhas been hypothesised by some researchers to have occurred as a result of such a gamma-ray burst.[14][15][16]

GRBs were first detected in 1967 by theVela satellites,which had been designed to detectcovert nuclear weapons tests;after thorough analysis, this was published in 1973.[17]Following their discovery, hundreds of theoretical models were proposed to explain these bursts, such as collisions betweencometsandneutron stars.[18]Little information was available to verify these models until the 1997 detection of the first X-ray and optical afterglows and direct measurement of theirredshiftsusing opticalspectroscopy,and thus their distances and energy outputs. These discoveries, and subsequent studies of the galaxies andsupernovaeassociated with the bursts, clarified the distance andluminosityof GRBs, definitively placing them in distant galaxies.

History

[edit]
Positions on the sky of all gamma-ray bursts detected during the BATSE mission. The distribution isisotropic,with no concentration towards the plane of the Milky Way, which runs horizontally through the center of the image.

Gamma-ray bursts were first observed in the late 1960s by the U.S.Velasatellites, which were built to detect gamma radiation pulses emitted by nuclear weapons tested in space. TheUnited Statessuspected that theSoviet Unionmight attempt to conduct secret nuclear tests after signing theNuclear Test Ban Treatyin 1963.[19]On July 2, 1967, at 14:19UTC,the Vela 4 and Vela 3 satellites detected a flash of gamma radiation unlike any known nuclear weapons signature.[20]Uncertain what had happened but not considering the matter particularly urgent, the team at theLos Alamos National Laboratory,led byRay Klebesadel,filed the data away for investigation. As additional Vela satellites were launched with better instruments, the Los Alamos team continued to find inexplicable gamma-ray bursts in their data. By analyzing the different arrival times of the bursts as detected by different satellites, the team was able to determine rough estimates for thesky positionsof 16 bursts[20][21]and definitively rule out a terrestrial or solar origin. Contrary to popular belief, the data was never classified.[22]After thorough analysis, the findings were published in 1973 as anAstrophysical Journalarticle entitled "Observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts of Cosmic Origin".[17]

Most early hypotheses of gamma-ray bursts posited nearby sources within theMilky Way Galaxy.From 1991, theCompton Gamma Ray Observatory(CGRO) and its Burst and Transient Source Explorer (BATSE) instrument, an extremely sensitive gamma-ray detector, provided data that showed the distribution of GRBs isisotropic– not biased towards any particular direction in space.[23]If the sources were from within our own galaxy, they would be strongly concentrated in or near the galactic plane. The absence of any such pattern in the case of GRBs provided strong evidence that gamma-ray bursts must come from beyond the Milky Way.[24][25][26][27]However, some Milky Way models are still consistent with an isotropic distribution.[24][28]

Counterpart objects as candidate sources

[edit]

For decades after the discovery of GRBs, astronomers searched for a counterpart at other wavelengths: i.e., any astronomical object in positional coincidence with a recently observed burst. Astronomers considered many distinct classes of objects, includingwhite dwarfs,pulsars,supernovae,globular clusters,quasars,Seyfert galaxies,andBL Lac objects.[29]All such searches were unsuccessful,[nb 1]and in a few cases particularly well-localized bursts (those whose positions were determined with what was then a high degree of accuracy) could be clearly shown to have no bright objects of any nature consistent with the position derived from the detecting satellites. This suggested an origin of either very faint stars or extremely distant galaxies.[30][31]Even the most accurate positions contained numerous faint stars and galaxies, and it was widely agreed that final resolution of the origins of cosmic gamma-ray bursts would require both new satellites and faster communication.[32]

Afterglow

[edit]
The Italian–Dutch satelliteBeppoSAX,launched in April 1996, provided the first accurate positions of gamma-ray bursts, allowing follow-up observations and identification of the sources.

Several models for the origin of gamma-ray bursts postulated that the initial burst of gamma rays should be followed byafterglow:slowly fading emission at longer wavelengths created by collisions between the burstejectaand interstellar gas.[33]Early searches for this afterglow were unsuccessful, largely because it is difficult to observe a burst's position at longer wavelengths immediately after the initial burst. The breakthrough came in February 1997 when the satelliteBeppoSAXdetected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 970228[nb 2]) and when the X-ray camera was pointed towards the direction from which the burst had originated, it detected fading X-ray emission. TheWilliam Herschel Telescopeidentified a fading optical counterpart 20 hours after the burst.[34]Once the GRB faded, deep imaging was able to identify a faint, distant host galaxy at the location of the GRB as pinpointed by the optical afterglow.[35][36]

Because of the very faint luminosity of this galaxy, its exact distance was not measured for several years. Well after then, another major breakthrough occurred with the next event registered by BeppoSAX,GRB 970508.This event was localized within four hours of its discovery, allowing research teams to begin making observations much sooner than any previous burst. Thespectrumof the object revealed aredshiftofz= 0.835, placing the burst at a distance of roughly 6 billionlight yearsfrom Earth.[37]This was the first accurate determination of the distance to a GRB, and together with the discovery of the host galaxy of 970228 proved that GRBs occur in extremely distant galaxies.[35][38]Within a few months, the controversy about the distance scale ended: GRBs were extragalactic events originating within faint galaxies at enormous distances. The following year,GRB 980425was followed within a day by a bright supernova (SN 1998bw), coincident in location, indicating a clear connection between GRBs and the deaths of very massive stars. This burst provided the first strong clue about the nature of the systems that produce GRBs.[39]

More recent instruments

[edit]
NASA'sSwift Spacecraftlaunched in November 2004

BeppoSAX functioned until 2002 andCGRO(with BATSE) was deorbited in 2000. However, the revolution in the study of gamma-ray bursts motivated the development of a number of additional instruments designed specifically to explore the nature of GRBs, especially in the earliest moments following the explosion. The first such mission,HETE-2,[40]was launched in 2000 and functioned until 2006, providing most of the major discoveries during this period. One of the most successful space missions to date,Swift,was launched in 2004 and as of May 2024 is still operational.[41][42]Swift is equipped with a very sensitive gamma-ray detector as well as on-board X-ray and optical telescopes, which can be rapidly and automaticallyslewedto observe afterglow emission following a burst. More recently, theFermimission was launched carrying theGamma-Ray Burst Monitor,which detects bursts at a rate of several hundred per year, some of which are bright enough to be observed at extremely high energies with Fermi'sLarge Area Telescope.Meanwhile, on the ground, numerous optical telescopes have been built or modified to incorporate robotic control software that responds immediately to signals sent through theGamma-ray Burst Coordinates Network.This allows the telescopes to rapidly repoint towards a GRB, often within seconds of receiving the signal and while the gamma-ray emission itself is still ongoing.[43][44]

New developments since the 2000s include the recognition of short gamma-ray bursts as a separate class (likely from merging neutron stars and not associated with supernovae), the discovery of extended, erratic flaring activity at X-ray wavelengths lasting for many minutes after most GRBs, and the discovery of the most luminous (GRB 080319B) and the former most distant (GRB 090423) objects in the universe.[45][46]The most distant known GRB,GRB 090429B,is now the most distant known object in the universe.

In October 2018, astronomers reported that GRB 150101B (detected in 2015) andGW170817,agravitational waveevent detected in 2017 (which has been associated with GRB170817A, a burst detected 1.7 seconds later), may have been produced by the same mechanism – themergerof twoneutron stars.The similarities between the two events, in terms ofgamma ray,optical,andx-rayemissions, as well as to the nature of the associated hostgalaxies,are "striking", suggesting the two separate events may both be the result of the merger of neutron stars, and both may be akilonova,which may be more common in the universe than previously understood, according to the researchers.[47][48][49][50]

The highest energy light observed from a gamma-ray burst was oneteraelectronvolt,fromGRB 190114Cin 2019.[51](Note, this is about a thousand times lower energy than the highest energy light observed from any source, which is 1.4 petaelectronvolts as of the year 2021.[52])

The Space Variable Objects Monitor is a smallX-ray telescopesatellite for studying the explosions of massive stars by analysing the resultinggamma-ray bursts,developed byChina National Space Administration(CNSA),Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS) and the French Space Agency (CNES),[53]launched on 22 June 2024 (07:00:00 UTC).

TheTaiwan Space Agencyis launching acubesatcalledThe Gamma-ray Transients Monitorto track GRBs and other bright gamma-ray transients with energies ranging from 50 keV to 2 MeV in Q4 2026.[54]

Classification

[edit]
Gamma-ray burst light curves

Thelight curvesof gamma-ray bursts are extremely diverse and complex.[55]No two gamma-ray burst light curves are identical,[56]with large variation observed in almost every property: the duration of observable emission can vary from milliseconds to tens of minutes, there can be a single peak or several individual subpulses, and individual peaks can be symmetric or with fast brightening and very slow fading. Some bursts are preceded by a "precursor"event, a weak burst that is then followed (after seconds to minutes of no emission at all) by the much more intense" true "bursting episode.[57]The light curves of some events have extremely chaotic and complicated profiles with almost no discernible patterns.[32]

Although some light curves can be roughly reproduced using certain simplified models,[58]little progress has been made in understanding the full diversity observed. Many classification schemes have been proposed, but these are often based solely on differences in the appearance of light curves and may not always reflect a true physical difference in the progenitors of the explosions. However, plots of the distribution of the observed duration[nb 3]for a large number of gamma-ray bursts show a clearbimodality,suggesting the existence of two separate populations: a "short" population with an average duration of about 0.3 seconds and a "long" population with an average duration of about 30 seconds.[8]Both distributions are very broad with a significant overlap region in which the identity of a given event is not clear from duration alone. Additional classes beyond this two-tiered system have been proposed on both observational and theoretical grounds.[59][60][61][62]

Short gamma-ray bursts

[edit]
Hubble Space Telescopecaptures infrared glow of akilonovablast.[63]
GRB 211106A, one of the most energetic short GRB registered, in the first-ever time-lapse movie of a short GRB in millimeter-wavelength light, as seen with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and pinpointed to a distant host galaxy captured using the Hubble Space Telescope.[64][65][66]

Events with a duration of less than about two seconds are classified as short gamma-ray bursts. These account for about 30% of gamma-ray bursts, but until 2005, no afterglow had been successfully detected from any short event and little was known about their origins.[67]Since then, several dozen short gamma-ray burst afterglows have been detected and localized, several of which are associated with regions of little or no star formation, such as largeelliptical galaxies.[68][69][70]This rules out a link to massive stars, confirming that short events are physically distinct from long events. In addition, there has been no association with supernovae.[71]

The true nature of these objects was initially unknown, and the leading hypothesis was that they originated from the mergers of binary neutron stars or a neutron star with ablack hole.Such mergers were hypothesized to producekilonovae,[72]and evidence for a kilonova associated with GRB 130603B was seen.[73][74]The mean duration of these events of 0.2 seconds suggests (because ofcausality) a source of very small physical diameter in stellar terms; less than 0.2 light-seconds (about 60,000 km or 37,000 miles – four times the Earth's diameter). The observation of minutes to hours of X-ray flashes after a short gamma-ray burst is consistent with small particles of a primary object like a neutron star initially swallowed by a black hole in less than two seconds, followed by some hours of lesser energy events, as remaining fragments of tidally disrupted neutron star material (no longerneutronium) remain in orbit to spiral into the black hole, over a longer period of time.[67]A small fraction of short gamma-ray bursts are probably produced by giant flares fromsoft gamma repeatersin nearby galaxies.[75][76]

The origin of short GRBs in kilonovae was confirmed when shortGRB 170817Awas detected only 1.7 s after the detection of gravitational waveGW170817,which was a signal from the merger of two neutron stars.[10]

Long gamma-ray bursts

[edit]
Swift captured the afterglow ofGRB 221009Aabout an hour after it was first detected reaching Earth on October 9, 2022. The bright rings form as a result of X-rays scattered from otherwise unobservable dust layers within our galaxy that lie in the direction of the burst.

Most observed events (70%) have a duration of greater than two seconds and are classified as long gamma-ray bursts. Because these events constitute the majority of the population and because they tend to have the brightest afterglows, they have been observed in much greater detail than their short counterparts. Almost every well-studied long gamma-ray burst has been linked to a galaxy with rapid star formation, and in many cases to acore-collapse supernovaas well, unambiguously associating long GRBs with the deaths of massive stars.[71][77]Long GRB afterglow observations, at high redshift, are also consistent with the GRB having originated in star-forming regions.[78]

In December 2022, astronomers reported the observation of GRB 211211A, the first evidence of a long GRB produced by aneutron star mergerwith 51s.[79][80][81]GRB 191019A (2019)[82]andGRB 230307A(2023).[83][84]with around 64s and 35s respectively have been also argued to belong to this class of long GRBs from neutron star mergers.[85]

Ultra-long gamma-ray bursts

[edit]

These events are at the tail end of the long GRB duration distribution, lasting more than 10,000 seconds. They have been proposed to form a separate class, caused by the collapse of ablue supergiant star,[86]atidal disruption event[87][88]or a new-bornmagnetar.[87][89]Only a small number have been identified to date, their primary characteristic being their gamma ray emission duration. The most studied ultra-long events includeGRB 101225AandGRB 111209A.[88][90][91]The low detection rate may be a result of low sensitivity of current detectors to long-duration events, rather than a reflection of their true frequency.[88]A 2013 study,[92]on the other hand, shows that the existing evidence for a separate ultra-long GRB population with a new type of progenitor is inconclusive, and further multi-wavelength observations are needed to draw a firmer conclusion.

Energetics

[edit]
Artist's illustration of a bright gamma-ray burst occurring in a star-forming region. Energy from the explosion is beamed into two narrow, oppositely directed jets.

Gamma-ray bursts are very bright as observed from Earth despite their typically immense distances. An average long GRB has abolometricflux comparable to a bright star of our galaxy despite a distance of billions of light years (compared to a few tens of light years for most visible stars). Most of this energy is released in gamma rays, although some GRBs have extremely luminous optical counterparts as well.GRB 080319B,for example, was accompanied by an optical counterpart that peaked at avisible magnitudeof 5.8,[93]comparable to that of the dimmest naked-eye stars despite the burst's distance of 7.5 billion light years. This combination of brightness and distance implies an extremely energetic source. Assuming the gamma-ray explosion to be spherical, the energy output of GRB 080319B would be within a factor of two of therest-mass energyof theSun(the energy which would be released were the Sun to be converted entirely into radiation).[45]

Gamma-ray bursts are thought to be highly focused explosions, with most of the explosion energycollimatedinto a narrowjet.[94][95]The jets of gamma-ray bursts areultrarelativistic,and are the most relativistic jets in the universe.[96][97]The matter in gamma-ray burst jets may also becomesuperluminal,or faster than the speed of light in the jet medium, with there also being effects oftime reversibility.[98][99][100]The approximate angular width of the jet (that is, the degree of spread of the beam) can be estimated directly by observing the achromatic "jet breaks" in afterglow light curves: a time after which the slowly decaying afterglow begins to fade rapidly as the jet slows and can no longerbeamits radiation as effectively.[101][102]Observations suggest significant variation in the jet angle from between 2 and 20 degrees.[103]

Because their energy is strongly focused, the gamma rays emitted by most bursts are expected to miss the Earth and never be detected. When a gamma-ray burst is pointed towards Earth, the focusing of its energy along a relatively narrow beam causes the burst to appear much brighter than it would have been were its energy emitted spherically. The total energy of typical gamma-ray bursts has been estimated at 3 × 1044J, – which is larger than the total energy (1044J) of ordinarysupernovae(typeIa,Ibc,II),[103]with gamma-ray bursts also being morepowerfulthan the typical supernova.[104]Very bright supernovae have been observed to accompany several of the nearest GRBs.[39]Further support for focusing of the output of GRBs comes from observations of strong asymmetries in the spectra of nearbytype Ic supernovae[105]and from radio observations taken long after bursts when their jets are no longer relativistic.[106]

However, a competing model, the binary-driven hypernova model, developed byRemo Ruffiniand others atICRANet,accepts the extreme isotropic energy totals as being true, with there being no need to correct for beaming.[107][108]They also note that the extreme beaming angles in the standard "fireball" model have never been physically corroborated.[109]

With the discovery ofGRB 190114C,astronomers may have been missing half of the total energy that gamma-ray bursts produce,[110]with Konstancja Satalecka, an astrophysicist at theGerman Electron Synchrotron,stating that "Our measurements show that the energy released in very-high-energy gamma-rays is comparable to the amount radiated at all lower energies taken together".[111]

Short (time duration) GRBs appear to come from a lower-redshift (i.e. less distant) population and are less luminous than long GRBs.[112]The degree of beaming in short bursts has not been accurately measured, but as a population they are likely less collimated than long GRBs[113]or possibly not collimated at all in some cases.[114]

Progenitors

[edit]
Hubble Space Telescope image ofWolf–Rayet starWR 124and its surrounding nebula. Wolf–Rayet stars are candidates for being progenitors of long-duration GRBs.

Because of the immense distances of most gamma-ray burst sources from Earth, identification of the progenitors, the systems that produce these explosions, is challenging. The association of some long GRBs with supernovae and the fact that their host galaxies are rapidly star-forming offer very strong evidence that long gamma-ray bursts are associated with massive stars. The most widely accepted mechanism for the origin of long-duration GRBs is thecollapsarmodel,[115]in which the core of an extremely massive, low-metallicity,rapidly rotating star collapses into ablack holein the final stages of itsevolution.Matter near the star's core rains down towards the center and swirls into a high-densityaccretion disk.The infall of this material into a black hole drives a pair ofrelativistic jetsout along the rotational axis, which pummel through the stellar envelope and eventually break through the stellar surface and radiate as gamma rays. Some alternative models replace the black hole with a newly formedmagnetar,[116][117]although most other aspects of the model (the collapse of the core of a massive star and the formation of relativistic jets) are the same.

However, a new model which has gained support and was developed by the Italian astrophysicistRemo Ruffiniand other scientists atICRANetis that of the binary-driven hypernova (BdHN) model.[118][119][120]The model succeeds and improves upon both the fireshell model and the induced gravitational collapse (IGC) paradigm suggested before, and explains all aspects of gamma-ray bursts.[107]The model posits long gamma-ray bursts as occurring in binary systems with a carbon–oxygen core and a companion neutron star or a black hole.[107]Furthermore, the energy of GRBs in the model is isotropic instead of collimated.[107]The creators of the model have noted the numerous drawbacks of the standard "fireball" model as motivation for developing the model, such as the markedly different energetics for supernova and gamma-ray bursts, and the fact that the existence of extremely narrow beaming angles have never been observationally corroborated.[109]

The closest analogs within the Milky Way galaxy of the stars producing long gamma-ray bursts are likely theWolf–Rayet stars,extremely hot and massive stars, which have shed most or all of their hydrogen envelope.Eta Carinae,Apep,andWR 104have been cited as possible future gamma-ray burst progenitors.[121]It is unclear if any star in the Milky Way has the appropriate characteristics to produce a gamma-ray burst.[122]

The massive-star model probably does not explain all types of gamma-ray burst. There is strong evidence that some short-duration gamma-ray bursts occur in systems with no star formation and no massive stars, such as elliptical galaxies andgalaxy halos.[112]The favored hypothesis for the origin of most short gamma-ray bursts is the merger of a binary system consisting of two neutron stars. According to this model, the two stars in a binary slowly spiral towards each other becausegravitational radiationreleases energy[123][124]untiltidal forcessuddenly rip the neutron stars apart and they collapse into a single black hole. The infall of matter into the new black hole produces an accretion disk and releases a burst of energy, analogous to the collapsar model. Numerous other models have also been proposed to explain short gamma-ray bursts, including the merger of a neutron star and a black hole, the accretion-induced collapse of a neutron star, or theevaporationofprimordial black holes.[125][126][127][128]

An alternative explanation proposed byFriedwardt Winterbergis that in the course of a gravitational collapse and in reaching the event horizon of a black hole, all matter disintegrates into a burst of gamma radiation.[129]

Tidal disruption events

[edit]

This class of GRB-like events was first discovered through the detection ofSwift J1644+57(originally classified as GRB 110328A) by theSwift Gamma-Ray Burst Missionon 28 March 2011. This event had a gamma-ray duration of about 2 days, much longer than even ultra-long GRBs, and was detected in many frequencies for months and years after. It occurred at the center of a small elliptical galaxy at redshift 3.8 billion light years away. This event has been accepted as atidal disruption event(TDE), where a star wanders too close to asupermassive black hole,shredding the star. In the case of Swift J1644+57, anastrophysical jettraveling at near the speed of light was launched, and lasted roughly 1.5 years before turning off.[130]

Since 2011, only 4 jetted TDEs have been discovered, of which 3 were detected in gamma-rays (including Swift J1644+57).[131]It is estimated that just 1% of all TDEs are jetted events.[131]

Emission mechanisms

[edit]
Gamma-ray burst mechanism

The means by which gamma-ray bursts convert energy into radiation remains poorly understood, and as of 2010 there was still no generally accepted model for how this process occurs.[132]Any successful model of GRB emission must explain the physical process for generating gamma-ray emission that matches the observed diversity of light curves, spectra, and other characteristics.[133]Particularly challenging is the need to explain the very high efficiencies that are inferred from some explosions: some gamma-ray bursts may convert as much as half (or more) of the explosion energy into gamma-rays.[134]Early observations of the bright optical counterparts toGRB 990123and toGRB 080319B,whose optical light curves were extrapolations of the gamma-ray light spectra,[93][135]have suggested thatinverse Compton scatteringmay be the dominant process in some events. In this model, pre-existing low-energyphotonsare scattered by relativistic electrons within the explosion, augmenting their energy by a large factor and transforming them into gamma-rays.[136]

The nature of the longer-wavelength afterglow emission (ranging fromX-raythroughradio) that follows gamma-ray bursts is better understood. Any energy released by the explosion not radiated away in the burst itself takes the form of matter or energy moving outward at nearly the speed of light. As this matter collides with the surroundinginterstellar gas,it creates arelativisticshock wavethat then propagates forward into interstellar space. A second shock wave, the reverse shock, may propagate back into the ejected matter. Extremely energetic electrons within the shock wave are accelerated by strong local magnetic fields and radiate assynchrotronemission across most of theelectromagnetic spectrum.[137][138]This model has generally been successful in modeling the behavior of many observed afterglows at late times (generally, hours to days after the explosion), although there are difficulties explaining all features of the afterglow very shortly after the gamma-ray burst has occurred.[139]

Rate of occurrence and potential effects on life

[edit]
On 27 October 2015, at 22:40 GMT, the NASA/ASI/UKSA Swift satellite discovered its 1000th gamma-ray burst (GRB).[140]

Gamma ray bursts can have harmful or destructive effects on life. Considering the universe as a whole, the safest environments for life similar to that on Earth are the lowest density regions in the outskirts of large galaxies. Our knowledge ofgalaxytypes and their distribution suggests that life as we know it can only exist in about 10% of all galaxies. Furthermore, galaxies with a redshift,z,higher than 0.5 are unsuitable for life as we know it, because of their higher rate of GRBs and their stellar compactness.[141][142]

All GRBs observed to date have occurred well outside the Milky Way galaxy and have been harmless to Earth. However, if a GRB were to occur within the Milky Way within 5,000 to 8,000 light-years[143]and its emission were beamed straight towards Earth, the effects could be harmful and potentially devastating for itsecosystems.Currently, orbiting satellites detect on average approximately one GRB per day. The closest observed GRB as of March 2014 wasGRB 980425,located 40 megaparsecs (130,000,000 ly)[144]away (z=0.0085) in an SBc-type dwarf galaxy.[145]GRB 980425 was far less energetic than the average GRB and was associated with theType Ib supernovaSN 1998bw.[146]

Estimating the exact rate at which GRBs occur is difficult; for a galaxy of approximately the same size as theMilky Way,estimates of the expected rate (for long-duration GRBs) can range from one burst every 10,000 years, to one burst every 1,000,000 years.[147]Only a small percentage of these would be beamed towards Earth. Estimates of rate of occurrence of short-duration GRBs are even more uncertain because of the unknown degree of collimation, but are probably comparable.[148]

Since GRBs are thought to involve beamed emission along two jets in opposing directions, only planets in the path of these jets would be subjected to the high energy gamma radiation.[149]A GRB would be able to vaporize anything in its beams out to around 200 light-years.[150][151]

Although nearby GRBs hitting Earth with a destructive shower of gamma rays are only hypothetical events, high energy processes across the galaxy have been observed to affect the Earth's atmosphere.[152]

Effects on Earth

[edit]

Earth's atmosphere is very effective at absorbing high energy electromagnetic radiation such as x-rays and gamma rays, so these types of radiation would not reach any dangerous levels at the surface during the burst event itself. The immediate effect on life on Earth from a GRB within a few kiloparsecswould only be a short increase in ultraviolet radiation at ground level, lasting from less than a second to tens of seconds. This ultraviolet radiation could potentially reach dangerous levels depending on the exact nature and distance of the burst, but it seems unlikely to be able to cause a global catastrophe for life on Earth.[153][154]

The long-term effects from a nearby burst are more dangerous. Gamma rays cause chemical reactions in the atmosphere involvingoxygenandnitrogenmolecules,creating firstnitrogen oxidethennitrogen dioxidegas. The nitrogen oxides cause dangerous effects on three levels. First, they depleteozone,with models showing a possible global reduction of 25–35%, with as much as 75% in certain locations, an effect that would last for years. This reduction is enough to cause a dangerously elevatedUV indexat the surface. Secondly, the nitrogen oxides causephotochemical smog,which darkens the sky and blocks out parts of thesunlightspectrum. This would affectphotosynthesis,but models show only about a 1% reduction of the total sunlight spectrum, lasting a few years. However, the smog could potentially cause a cooling effect on Earth's climate, producing a "cosmic winter" (similar to animpact winter,but without an impact), but only if it occurs simultaneously with a global climate instability. Thirdly, the elevated nitrogen dioxide levels in the atmosphere would wash out and produceacid rain.Nitric acidis toxic to a variety of organisms, including amphibian life, but models predict that it would not reach levels that would cause a serious global effect. Thenitratesmight in fact be of benefit to some plants.[153][154]

All in all, a GRB within a few kiloparsecs, with its energy directed towards Earth, will mostly damage life by raising the UV levels during the burst itself and for a few years thereafter. Models show that the destructive effects of this increase can cause up to 16 times the normal levels of DNA damage. It has proved difficult to assess a reliable evaluation of the consequences of this on the terrestrial ecosystem, because of the uncertainty in biological field and laboratory data.[153][154]

Hypothetical effects on Earth in the past

[edit]

There is a very good chance (but no certainty) that at least one lethal GRB took place during the past 5 billion years close enough to Earth as to significantly damage life. There is a 50% chance that such a lethal GRB took place within two kiloparsecs of Earth during the last 500 million years, causing one of the major mass extinction events.[155][16]

The majorOrdovician–Silurian extinction event450 million years ago may have been caused by a GRB.[14][156]Estimates suggest that approximately 20–60% of the total phytoplankton biomass in the Ordovician oceans would have perished in a GRB, because the oceans were mostly oligotrophic and clear.[15]Thelate Ordovicianspecies oftrilobitesthat spent portions of their lives in theplanktonlayer near the ocean surface were much harder hit than deep-water dwellers, which tended to remain within quite restricted areas. This is in contrast to the usual pattern of extinction events, wherein species with more widely spread populations typically fare better. A possible explanation is that trilobites remaining in deep water would be more shielded from the increased UV radiation associated with a GRB. Also supportive of this hypothesis is the fact that during the late Ordovician, burrowingbivalvespecies were less likely to go extinct than bivalves that lived on the surface.[13]

A case has been made that the774–775 carbon-14 spikewas the result of a short GRB,[157][158]though a very strongsolar flareis another possibility.[159]

GRB candidates in the Milky Way

[edit]
Illustration of a short gamma-ray burst caused by a collapsing star.[160]

No gamma-ray bursts from within our own galaxy, theMilky Way,have been observed,[161]and the question of whether one has ever occurred remains unresolved. In light of evolving understanding of gamma-ray bursts and their progenitors, the scientific literature records a growing number of local, past, and future GRB candidates. Long duration GRBs are related to superluminous supernovae, or hypernovae, and mostluminous blue variables(LBVs) and rapidly spinningWolf–Rayet starsare thought to end their life cycles in core-collapse supernovae with an associated long-duration GRB. Knowledge of GRBs, however, is from metal-poor galaxies offormer epochs of the universe's evolution,and it is impossible to directly extrapolate to encompass more evolved galaxies and stellar environments with a highermetallicity,such as the Milky Way.[162][163][164]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^A notable exception is the5 March eventof 1979, an extremely bright burst that was successfully localized to supernova remnantN49in theLarge Magellanic Cloud.This event is now interpreted as amagnetargiant flare,more related toSGRflares than "true" gamma-ray bursts.
  2. ^GRBs are named after the date on which they are discovered: the first two digits being the year, followed by the two-digit month and two-digit day and a letter with the order they were detected during that day. The letter 'A' is appended to the name for the first burst identified, 'B' for the second, and so on. For bursts before the year 2010, this letter was only appended if more than one burst occurred that day.
  3. ^The duration of a burst is typically measured by T90, the duration of the period which 90 percent of the burst'senergyis emitted. Recently some otherwise "short" GRBs have been shown to be followed by a second, much longer emission episode that when included in the burst light curve results in T90 durations of up to several minutes: these events are only short in the literal sense when this component is excluded.

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^Gehrels, Neil;Mészáros, Péter(2012-08-24)."Gamma-Ray Bursts".Science.337(6097): 932–936.arXiv:1208.6522.Bibcode:2012Sci...337..932G.doi:10.1126/science.1216793.ISSN0036-8075.PMID22923573.
  2. ^Misra, Kuntal; Ghosh, Ankur; Resmi, L. (2023)."The Detection of Very High Energy Photons in Gamma Ray Bursts"(PDF).Physics News.53.Tata Institute of Fundamental Research:42–45.
  3. ^NASA Universe Web Team (2023-06-09)."Gamma-Ray Bursts: Black Hole Birth Announcements".science.nasa.gov.Retrieved2024-05-18.
  4. ^Reddy, Francis (2023-03-28)."NASA Missions Study What May Be a 1-In-10,000-Year Gamma-ray Burst - NASA".nasa.gov.Retrieved2023-09-29.
  5. ^"Gamma Rays".NASA.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-05-02.
  6. ^Zhang, Bing (2018).The Physics of Gamma-Ray Bursts.Cambridge University Press. pp. xv, 2.ISBN978-1-107-02761-9.
  7. ^Atkinson, Nancy (2013-04-16)."New Kind of Gamma Ray Burst is Ultra Long-Lasting".Universe Today.Retrieved2022-01-03.
  8. ^abKouveliotou 1994
  9. ^Vedrenne & Atteia 2009
  10. ^abAbbott, B. P.; et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration&Virgo Collaboration) (16 October 2017). "GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral".Physical Review Letters.119(16): 161101.arXiv:1710.05832.Bibcode:2017PhRvL.119p1101A.doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.161101.PMID29099225.S2CID217163611.
  11. ^Arizona State University (26 July 2017)."Massive star's dying blast caught by rapid-response telescopes".PhysOrg.Retrieved27 July2017.
  12. ^Podsiadlowski 2004
  13. ^abMelott 2004
  14. ^abMelott, A.L. & Thomas, B.C. (2009). "Late Ordovician geographic patterns of extinction compared with simulations of astrophysical ionizing radiation damage".Paleobiology.35(3): 311–320.arXiv:0809.0899.Bibcode:2009Pbio...35..311M.doi:10.1666/0094-8373-35.3.311.S2CID11942132.
  15. ^abRodríguez-López, Lien; Cardenas, Rolando; González-Rodríguez, Lisdelys; Guimarais, Mayrene; Horvath, Jorge (24 January 2021)."Influence of a galactic gamma ray burst on ocean plankton".Astronomical Notes.342(1–2): 45–48.arXiv:2011.08433.Bibcode:2021AN....342...45R.doi:10.1002/asna.202113878.S2CID226975864.Retrieved21 October2022.
  16. ^abThomas, Brian C.; Jackman, Charles H.; Melott, Adrian L.; Laird, Claude M.; Stolarski, Richard S.; Gehrels, Neil; Cannizzo, John K.; Hogan, Daniel P. (28 February 2005)."Terrestrial Ozone Depletion due to a Milky Way Gamma-Ray Burst".The Astrophysical Journal.622(2): L153–L156.arXiv:astro-ph/0411284.Bibcode:2005ApJ...622L.153T.doi:10.1086/429799.hdl:2060/20050179464.S2CID11199820.Retrieved22 October2022.
  17. ^abKlebesadel R.W.; Strong I.B.; Olson R.A. (1973). "Observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts of Cosmic Origin".Astrophysical Journal Letters.182:L85.Bibcode:1973ApJ...182L..85K.doi:10.1086/181225.
  18. ^Hurley 2003
  19. ^Bonnell, JT; Klebesadel, RW (1996). "A brief history of the discovery of cosmic gamma-ray bursts".AIP Conference Proceedings.384(1): 977–980.Bibcode:1996AIPC..384..977B.doi:10.1063/1.51630.
  20. ^abSchilling 2002,pp. 12–16
  21. ^Klebesadel, R. W.; et, al (1973)."Observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts of Cosmic Origin".Astrophysical Journal.182:85.Bibcode:1973ApJ...182L..85K.doi:10.1086/181225.
  22. ^Bonnell, J. T.; Klebesadel, R. W. (1996). "A brief history of the discovery of cosmic gamma-ray bursts".AIP Conference Proceedings.384:979.Bibcode:1996AIPC..384..977B.doi:10.1063/1.51630.
  23. ^Meegan 1992
  24. ^abVedrenne & Atteia 2009,pp. 16–40
  25. ^Schilling 2002,pp. 36–37
  26. ^Paczyński 1999,p. 6
  27. ^Piran 1992
  28. ^Lamb 1995
  29. ^Hurley 1986,p. 33
  30. ^Pedersen 1987
  31. ^Hurley 1992
  32. ^abFishman & Meegan 1995
  33. ^Paczynski 1993
  34. ^van Paradijs 1997
  35. ^abVedrenne & Atteia 2009,pp. 90–93
  36. ^Schilling 2002,p. 102
  37. ^Reichart 1995
  38. ^Schilling 2002,pp. 118–123
  39. ^abGalama 1998
  40. ^Ricker 2003
  41. ^McCray 2008
  42. ^Gehrels 2004
  43. ^Akerlof 2003
  44. ^Akerlof 1999
  45. ^abBloom 2009
  46. ^Reddy 2009
  47. ^University of Maryland(16 October 2018)."All in the family: Kin of gravitational wave source discovered – New observations suggest that kilonovae – immense cosmic explosions that produce silver, gold and platinum – may be more common than thought".EurekAlert!(Press release).Retrieved17 October2018.
  48. ^Troja, E.; et al. (16 October 2018)."A luminous blue kilonova and an off-axis jet from a compact binary merger at z = 0.1341".Nature Communications.9(4089 (2018)): 4089.arXiv:1806.10624.Bibcode:2018NatCo...9.4089T.doi:10.1038/s41467-018-06558-7.PMC6191439.PMID30327476.
  49. ^Mohon, Lee (16 October 2018)."GRB 150101B: A Distant Cousin to GW170817".NASA.Retrieved17 October2018.
  50. ^Wall, Mike (17 October 2018)."Powerful Cosmic Flash Is Likely Another Neutron-Star Merger".Space.com.Retrieved17 October2018.
  51. ^Veres, P; et al. (20 November 2019). "Observation of inverse Compton emission from a long γ-ray burst".Nature.575(7783): 459–463.arXiv:2006.07251.Bibcode:2019Natur.575..459M.doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1754-6.PMID31748725.S2CID208191199.
  52. ^Conover, Emily (2021-05-21)."Record-breaking light has more than a quadrillion electron volts of energy".Science News.Retrieved2022-05-11.
  53. ^"Lobster-inspired £3.8m super lightweight mirror chosen for Chinese-French space mission".University of Leicester. 26 October 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 28 Jan 2021.Retrieved20 May2021.
  54. ^Chang, Hsiang-Kuang; Lin, Chi-Hsun; Tsao, Che-Chih; Chu, Che-Yen; Yang, Shun-Chia; Huang, Chien-You; Wang, Chao-Hsi; Su, Tze-Hsiang; Chung, Yun-Hsin; Chang, Yung-Wei; Gong, Zi-Jun; Hsiang, Jr-Yue; Lai, Keng-Li; Lin, Tsu-Hsuan; Lu, Chia-Yu (2022-01-15)."The Gamma-ray Transients Monitor (GTM) on board Formosat-8B and its GRB detection efficiency".Advances in Space Research.69(2): 1249–1255.Bibcode:2022AdSpR..69.1249C.doi:10.1016/j.asr.2021.10.044.ISSN0273-1177.
  55. ^Katz 2002,p. 37
  56. ^Marani 1997
  57. ^Lazatti 2005
  58. ^Simić 2005
  59. ^Horvath 1998
  60. ^Hakkila 2003
  61. ^Chattopadhyay 2007
  62. ^Virgili 2009
  63. ^"Hubble captures infrared glow of a kilonova blast".Image Gallery.ESA/Hubble. 5 August 2013.Retrieved14 August2013.
  64. ^Laskar, Tanmoy; Escorial, Alicia Rouco; Schroeder, Genevieve; Fong, Wen-fai; Berger, Edo; Veres, Péter; Bhandari, Shivani; Rastinejad, Jillian; Kilpatrick, Charles D.; Tohuvavohu, Aaron; Margutti, Raffaella; Alexander, Kate D.; DeLaunay, James; Kennea, Jamie A.; Nugent, Anya (2022-08-01)."The First Short GRB Millimeter Afterglow: The Wide-angled Jet of the Extremely Energetic SGRB 211106A".The Astrophysical Journal Letters.935(1): L11.arXiv:2205.03419.Bibcode:2022ApJ...935L..11L.doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ac8421.S2CID248572470.
  65. ^"Out With a Bang: Explosive Neutron Star Merger Captured for the First Time in Millimeter Light".National Radio Astronomy Observatory.Retrieved2022-08-14.
  66. ^"Explosive neutron star merger captured for first time in millimeter light".news.northwestern.edu.Retrieved2022-08-14.
  67. ^abIn a Flash NASA Helps Solve 35-year-old Cosmic Mystery.NASA (2005-10-05) The 30% figure is given here, as well as afterglow discussion.
  68. ^Bloom 2006
  69. ^Hjorth 2005
  70. ^Gehrels 2005
  71. ^abWoosley & Bloom 2006
  72. ^Li, Li-Xin; Paczyński, Bohdan (1998-09-21)."Transient Events from Neutron Star Mergers".The Astrophysical Journal.507(1): L59.arXiv:astro-ph/9807272.Bibcode:1998ApJ...507L..59L.doi:10.1086/311680.ISSN0004-637X.S2CID3091361.
  73. ^Tanvir, N. R.; Levan, A. J.; Fruchter, A. S.; Hjorth, J.; Hounsell, R. A.; Wiersema, K.; Tunnicliffe, R. L. (2013). "A 'kilonova' associated with the short-duration γ-ray burst GRB 130603B".Nature.500(7464): 547–549.arXiv:1306.4971.Bibcode:2013Natur.500..547T.doi:10.1038/nature12505.PMID23912055.S2CID205235329.
  74. ^Gugliucci, Nicole (7 August 2013)."Kilonova Alert! Hubble Solves Gamma Ray Burst Mystery".Discovery News.Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved22 January2015.
  75. ^Frederiks 2008
  76. ^Hurley 2005
  77. ^Hjorth, Jens; Sollerman, Jesper; Møller, Palle; Fynbo, Johan P. U.; Woosley, Stan E.; Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Tanvir, Nial R.; Greiner, Jochen; Andersen, Michael I.; Castro-Tirado, Alberto J.; Castro Cerón, José María; Fruchter, Andrew S.; Gorosabel, Javier; Jakobsson, Páll; Kaper, Lex (2003-06-19)."A very energetic supernova associated with the γ-ray burst of 29 March 2003".Nature.423(6942): 847–850.arXiv:astro-ph/0306347.Bibcode:2003Natur.423..847H.doi:10.1038/nature01750.ISSN0028-0836.PMID12815425.
  78. ^Pontzen et al. 2010
  79. ^Rastinejad, Jillian C.; Gompertz, Benjamin P.; Levan, Andrew J.; Fong, Wen-fai; Nicholl, Matt; Lamb, Gavin P.; Malesani, Daniele B.; Nugent, Anya E.; Oates, Samantha R.; Tanvir, Nial R.; de Ugarte Postigo, Antonio; Kilpatrick, Charles D.; Moore, Christopher J.; Metzger, Brian D.; Ravasio, Maria Edvige (2022-12-08)."A kilonova following a long-duration gamma-ray burst at 350 Mpc".Nature.612(7939): 223–227.arXiv:2204.10864.Bibcode:2022Natur.612..223R.doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05390-w.ISSN0028-0836.PMID36477128.
  80. ^Troja, E.; Fryer, C. L.; O’Connor, B.; Ryan, G.; Dichiara, S.; Kumar, A.; Ito, N.; Gupta, R.; Wollaeger, R. T.; Norris, J. P.; Kawai, N.; Butler, N. R.; Aryan, A.; Misra, K.; Hosokawa, R. (2022-12-08)."A nearby long gamma-ray burst from a merger of compact objects".Nature.612(7939): 228–231.arXiv:2209.03363.Bibcode:2022Natur.612..228T.doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05327-3.ISSN0028-0836.PMC9729102.PMID36477127.
  81. ^"Kilonova Discovery Challenges our Understanding of Gamma-Ray Bursts".Gemini Observatory.2022-12-07.Retrieved2022-12-11.
  82. ^Levan, Andrew J.; Malesani, Daniele B.; Gompertz, Benjamin P.; Nugent, Anya E.; Nicholl, Matt; Oates, Samantha R.; Perley, Daniel A.; Rastinejad, Jillian; Metzger, Brian D.; Schulze, Steve; Stanway, Elizabeth R.; Inkenhaag, Anne; Zafar, Tayyaba; Agüí Fernández, J. Feliciano; Chrimes, Ashley A. (2023-06-22)."A long-duration gamma-ray burst of dynamical origin from the nucleus of an ancient galaxy".Nature Astronomy.7(8): 976–985.arXiv:2303.12912.Bibcode:2023NatAs...7..976L.doi:10.1038/s41550-023-01998-8.ISSN2397-3366.
  83. ^"GCN - Circulars - 33410: Solar Orbiter STIX observation of GRB 230307A".
  84. ^"GCN - Circulars - 33412: GRB 230307A: AGILE/MCAL detection".
  85. ^Wodd, Charlie (11 December 2023)."Extra-Long Blasts Challenge Our Theories of Cosmic Cataclysms".Quanta magazine.
  86. ^Gendre, B.; Stratta, G.; Atteia, J. L.; Basa, S.; Boër, M.; Coward, D. M.; Cutini, S.; d'Elia, V.; Howell, E. J; Klotz, A.; Piro, L. (2013). "The Ultra-Long Gamma-Ray Burst 111209A: The Collapse of a Blue Supergiant?".The Astrophysical Journal.766(1): 30.arXiv:1212.2392.Bibcode:2013ApJ...766...30G.doi:10.1088/0004-637X/766/1/30.S2CID118618287.
  87. ^abGreiner, Jochen; Mazzali, Paolo A.; Kann, D. Alexander; Krühler, Thomas; Pian, Elena; Prentice, Simon; Olivares E., Felipe; Rossi, Andrea; Klose, Sylvio; Taubenberger, Stefan; Knust, Fabian; Afonso, Paulo M. J.; Ashall, Chris; Bolmer, Jan; Delvaux, Corentin; Diehl, Roland; Elliott, Jonathan; Filgas, Robert; Fynbo, Johan P. U.; Graham, John F.; Guelbenzu, Ana Nicuesa; Kobayashi, Shiho; Leloudas, Giorgos; Savaglio, Sandra;Schady, Patricia;Schmidl, Sebastian; Schweyer, Tassilo; Sudilovsky, Vladimir; Tanga, Mohit; et al. (2015-07-08). "A very luminous magnetar-powered supernova associated with an ultra-long γ-ray burst".Nature.523(7559): 189–192.arXiv:1509.03279.Bibcode:2015Natur.523..189G.doi:10.1038/nature14579.PMID26156372.S2CID4464998.
  88. ^abcLevan, A. J.; Tanvir, N. R.; Starling, R. L. C.; Wiersema, K.; Page, K. L.; Perley, D. A.; Schulze, S.; Wynn, G. A.; Chornock, R.; Hjorth, J.; Cenko, S. B.; Fruchter, A. S.; O'Brien, P. T.; Brown, G. C.; Tunnicliffe, R. L.; Malesani, D.; Jakobsson, P.; Watson, D.; Berger, E.; Bersier, D.; Cobb, B. E.; Covino, S.; Cucchiara, A.; de Ugarte Postigo, A.; Fox, D. B.; Gal-Yam, A.; Goldoni, P.; Gorosabel, J.; Kaper, L.; et al. (2014). "A new population of ultra-long duration gamma-ray bursts".The Astrophysical Journal.781(1): 13.arXiv:1302.2352.Bibcode:2014ApJ...781...13L.doi:10.1088/0004-637x/781/1/13.S2CID24657235.
  89. ^Ioka, Kunihito; Hotokezaka, Kenta; Piran, Tsvi (2016-12-12)."Are Ultra-Long Gamma-Ray Bursts Caused by Blue Supergiant Collapsars, Newborn Magnetars, or White Dwarf Tidal Disruption Events?".The Astrophysical Journal.833(1): 110.arXiv:1608.02938.Bibcode:2016ApJ...833..110I.doi:10.3847/1538-4357/833/1/110.S2CID118629696.
  90. ^Boer, Michel; Gendre, Bruce; Stratta, Giulia (2013). "Are Ultra-long Gamma-Ray Bursts different?".The Astrophysical Journal.800(1): 16.arXiv:1310.4944.Bibcode:2015ApJ...800...16B.doi:10.1088/0004-637X/800/1/16.S2CID118655406.
  91. ^Virgili, F. J.; Mundell, C. G.; Pal'Shin, V.; Guidorzi, C.; Margutti, R.; Melandri, A.; Harrison, R.; Kobayashi, S.; Chornock, R.; Henden, A.; Updike, A. C.; Cenko, S. B.; Tanvir, N. R.; Steele, I. A.; Cucchiara, A.; Gomboc, A.; Levan, A.; Cano, Z.; Mottram, C. J.; Clay, N. R.; Bersier, D.; Kopač, D.; Japelj, J.; Filippenko, A. V.; Li, W.; Svinkin, D.; Golenetskii, S.; Hartmann, D. H.; Milne, P. A.; et al. (2013). "Grb 091024A and the Nature of Ultra-Long Gamma-Ray Bursts".The Astrophysical Journal.778(1): 54.arXiv:1310.0313.Bibcode:2013ApJ...778...54V.doi:10.1088/0004-637X/778/1/54.S2CID119023750.
  92. ^Zhang, Bin-Bin; Zhang, Bing; Murase, Kohta; Connaughton, Valerie; Briggs, Michael S. (2014). "How Long does a Burst Burst?".The Astrophysical Journal.787(1): 66.arXiv:1310.2540.Bibcode:2014ApJ...787...66Z.doi:10.1088/0004-637X/787/1/66.S2CID56273013.
  93. ^abRacusin 2008
  94. ^Rykoff 2009
  95. ^Abdo 2009
  96. ^Dereli-Bégué, Hüsne; Pe’er, Asaf; Ryde, Felix; Oates, Samantha R.; Zhang, Bing; Dainotti, Maria G. (2022-09-24)."A wind environment and Lorentz factors of tens explain gamma-ray bursts X-ray plateau".Nature Communications.13(1): 5611.arXiv:2207.11066.Bibcode:2022NatCo..13.5611D.doi:10.1038/s41467-022-32881-1.ISSN2041-1723.PMC9509382.PMID36153328.
  97. ^Pe’er, Asaf (2019)."Plasmas in Gamma-Ray Bursts: Particle Acceleration, Magnetic Fields, Radiative Processes and Environments".Galaxies.7(1): 33.arXiv:1902.02562.Bibcode:2019Galax...7...33P.doi:10.3390/galaxies7010033.ISSN2075-4434.
  98. ^Hakkila, Jon; Nemiroff, Robert (2019-09-23)."Time-reversed Gamma-Ray Burst Light-curve Characteristics as Transitions between Subluminal and Superluminal Motion".The Astrophysical Journal.883(1): 70.arXiv:1908.07306.Bibcode:2019ApJ...883...70H.doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab3bdf.ISSN0004-637X.
  99. ^Ratner, Paul (2019-09-25)."Astrophysicists: Gamma-ray jets exceed the speed of light".Big Think.Retrieved2023-10-11.
  100. ^Siegel, Ethan(2019-10-05)."Ask Ethan: Can Gamma-Ray Jets Really Travel Faster Than The Speed Of Light?".Forbes.Retrieved2023-10-11.
  101. ^Sari 1999
  102. ^Burrows 2006
  103. ^abFrail 2001
  104. ^Melia, Fulvio(2009).High-Energy Astrophysics.Princeton University Press. p. 241.ISBN978-0-691-13543-4.
  105. ^Mazzali 2005
  106. ^Frail 2000
  107. ^abcdRueda, Jorge A.; Ruffini, Remo; Moradi, Rahim; Wang, Yu (2021)."A brief review of binary-driven hypernova".International Journal of Modern Physics D.30(15).arXiv:2201.03500.Bibcode:2021IJMPD..3030007R.doi:10.1142/S021827182130007X.ISSN0218-2718.
  108. ^Aimuratov, Y.; Becerra, L. M.; Bianco, C. L.; Cherubini, C.; Valle, M. Della; Filippi, S.; Li, Liang; Moradi, R.; Rastegarnia, F.; Rueda, J. A.; Ruffini, R.; Sahakyan, N.; Wang, Y.; Zhang, S. R. (2023)."GRB-SN Association within the Binary-driven Hypernova Model".The Astrophysical Journal.955(2): 93.arXiv:2303.16902.Bibcode:2023ApJ...955...93A.doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ace721.ISSN0004-637X.
  109. ^abRueda, J. A.; Ruffini, R.; Wang, Y. (2019-05-09)."Induced Gravitational Collapse, Binary-Driven Hypernovae, Long Gramma-ray Bursts and Their Connection with Short Gamma-ray Bursts".Universe.5(5): 110.arXiv:1905.06050.Bibcode:2019Univ....5..110R.doi:10.3390/universe5050110.ISSN2218-1997.
  110. ^Billings, Lee (2019-11-20)."Record-Breaking Gamma Rays Reveal Secrets of the Universe's Most Powerful Explosions".Scientific American.Retrieved2023-09-17.
  111. ^Choi, Charles Q. (2019-11-20)."The Most Powerful Explosions in the Universe Emit Way More Energy Than Anyone Thought".Space.com.Retrieved2023-09-17.
  112. ^abProchaska 2006
  113. ^Watson 2006
  114. ^Grupe 2006
  115. ^MacFadyen 1999
  116. ^Zhang, Bing; Mészáros, Peter (2001-05-01). "Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglow with Continuous Energy Injection: Signature of a Highly Magnetized Millisecond Pulsar".The Astrophysical Journal Letters.552(1): L35–L38.arXiv:astro-ph/0011133.Bibcode:2001ApJ...552L..35Z.doi:10.1086/320255.S2CID18660804.
  117. ^Troja, E.; Cusumano, G.; O'Brien, P. T.; Zhang, B.; Sbarufatti, B.; Mangano, V.; Willingale, R.; Chincarini, G.; Osborne, J. P. (2007-08-01). "Swift Observations of GRB 070110: An Extraordinary X-Ray Afterglow Powered by the Central Engine".The Astrophysical Journal.665(1): 599–607.arXiv:astro-ph/0702220.Bibcode:2007ApJ...665..599T.doi:10.1086/519450.S2CID14317593.
  118. ^Ruffini, R.; Muccino, M.; Bianco, C. L.; Enderli, M.; Izzo, L.; Kovacevic, M.; Penacchioni, A. V.; Pisani, G. B.; Rueda, J. A.; Wang, Y. (2014-05-01)."On binary-driven hypernovae and their nested late X-ray emission".Astronomy & Astrophysics.565:L10.arXiv:1404.3946.Bibcode:2014A&A...565L..10R.doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201423812.ISSN0004-6361.
  119. ^Fryer, Chris L.; Rueda, Jorge A.; Ruffini, Remo (2014-09-16)."Hypercritical Accretion, Induced Gravitational Collapse, and Binary-Driven Hypernovae".The Astrophysical Journal.793(2): L36.arXiv:1409.1473.Bibcode:2014ApJ...793L..36F.doi:10.1088/2041-8205/793/2/l36.ISSN2041-8213.
  120. ^"Binary-driven hypernova model gains observational support".phys.org.2020-05-19.Retrieved2024-05-22.
  121. ^Plait 2008
  122. ^Stanek 2006
  123. ^Abbott 2007
  124. ^Kochanek 1993
  125. ^Vietri 1998
  126. ^MacFadyen 2006
  127. ^Blinnikov 1984
  128. ^Cline 1996
  129. ^Winterberg, Friedwardt (2001 Aug 29). "Gamma-Ray Bursters and Lorentzian Relativity". Z. Naturforsch 56a: 889–892.
  130. ^Cendes, Yvette (8 December 2021)."How do black holes swallow stars?".Astronomy Magazine.Retrieved8 May2024.
  131. ^abHensley, Kerry (8 November 2023)."Why Are Jets from Disrupted Stars So Rare?".AAS Nova.
  132. ^Stern 2007
  133. ^Fishman, G. 1995
  134. ^Fan & Piran 2006
  135. ^Liang, E. P.; Crider, A.; Boettcher, M.; Smith, I. A. (1999-03-29). "GRB990123: The Case for Saturated Comptonization".The Astrophysical Journal.519(1): L21–L24.arXiv:astro-ph/9903438.Bibcode:1999ApJ...519L..21L.doi:10.1086/312100.S2CID16005521.
  136. ^Wozniak 2009
  137. ^Meszaros 1997
  138. ^Sari 1998
  139. ^Nousek 2006
  140. ^"ESO Telescopes Observe Swift Satellite's 1000th Gamma-ray Burst".6 November 2015.Retrieved9 November2015.
  141. ^Piran, Tsvi; Jimenez, Raul (5 December 2014). "Possible Role of Gamma Ray Bursts on Life Extinction in the Universe".Physical Review Letters.113(23): 231102.arXiv:1409.2506.Bibcode:2014PhRvL.113w1102P.doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.231102.PMID25526110.S2CID43491624.
  142. ^Schirber, Michael (2014-12-08). "Focus: Gamma-Ray Bursts Determine Potential Locations for Life".Physics.7:124.doi:10.1103/Physics.7.124.
  143. ^Cain, Fraser (January 12, 2015)."Are Gamma Ray Bursts Dangerous?".
  144. ^Soderberg, A. M.;Kulkarni, S. R.; Berger, E.; Fox, D. W.; Sako, M.; Frail, D. A.; Gal-Yam, A.; Moon, D. S.; Cenko, S. B.; Yost, S. A.; Phillips, M. M.; Persson, S. E.; Freedman, W. L.; Wyatt, P.; Jayawardhana, R.; Paulson, D. (2004). "The sub-energetic γ-ray burst GRB 031203 as a cosmic analogue to the nearby GRB 980425".Nature.430(7000): 648–650.arXiv:astro-ph/0408096.Bibcode:2004Natur.430..648S.doi:10.1038/nature02757.hdl:2027.42/62961.PMID15295592.S2CID4363027.
  145. ^Le Floc'h, E.; Charmandaris, V.; Gordon, K.; Forrest, W. J.; Brandl, B.; Schaerer, D.; Dessauges-Zavadsky, M.; Armus, L. (2011). "The first Infrared study of the close environment of a long Gamma-Ray Burst".The Astrophysical Journal.746(1): 7.arXiv:1111.1234.Bibcode:2012ApJ...746....7L.doi:10.1088/0004-637X/746/1/7.S2CID51474244.
  146. ^Kippen, R.M.; Briggs, M. S.; Kommers, J. M.; Kouveliotou, C.; Hurley, K.; Robinson, C. R.; Van Paradijs, J.; Hartmann, D. H.; Galama, T. J.; Vreeswijk, P. M. (October 1998). "On the Association of Gamma-Ray Bursts with Supernovae".The Astrophysical Journal.506(1): L27–L30.arXiv:astro-ph/9806364.Bibcode:1998ApJ...506L..27K.doi:10.1086/311634.S2CID2677824.
  147. ^Morelle, Rebecca(2013-01-21)."Gamma-ray burst 'hit Earth in 8th Century'".BBC News.RetrievedJanuary 21,2013.
  148. ^Guetta and Piran 2006
  149. ^Welsh, Jennifer (2011-07-10)."Can gamma-ray bursts destroy life on Earth?".MSN. Archived fromthe originalon November 22, 2013.RetrievedOctober 27,2011.
  150. ^"Gamma-ray bursts: are we safe?".www.esa.int.2003-09-17.Retrieved2023-09-17.
  151. ^Lincoln, Don(2023-06-06)."Scientists are exploring how deadly gamma-ray bursts could sterilize — or vaporize — the Earth".Big Think.Retrieved2023-09-17.
  152. ^"Cosmic energy burst disturbs Earth's atmosphere".NASA Science.September 29, 1998. Archived fromthe originalon January 24, 2023.RetrievedJuly 12,2017.
  153. ^abcThomas, B.C. (2009). "Gamma-ray bursts as a threat to life on Earth".International Journal of Astrobiology.8(3): 183–186.arXiv:0903.4710.Bibcode:2009IJAsB...8..183T.doi:10.1017/S1473550409004509.S2CID118579150.
  154. ^abcMartin, Osmel; Cardenas, Rolando; Guimarais, Mayrene; Peñate, Liuba; Horvath, Jorge; Galante, Douglas (2010). "Effects of gamma ray bursts in Earth's biosphere".Astrophysics and Space Science.326(1): 61–67.arXiv:0911.2196.Bibcode:2010Ap&SS.326...61M.doi:10.1007/s10509-009-0211-7.S2CID15141366.
  155. ^Piran, Tsvi; Jimenez, Raul (2014-12-05)."Possible Role of Gamma Ray Bursts on Life Extinction in the Universe".Physical Review Letters.113(23): 231102.arXiv:1409.2506.Bibcode:2014PhRvL.113w1102P.doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.231102.hdl:2445/133018.PMID25526110.S2CID43491624.
  156. ^Thomas, Brian C.; Melott, Adrian Lewis; Jackman, Charles H.; Laird, Claude M.; Medvedev, Mikhail V.; Stolarski, Richard S.; Gehrels, Neil; Cannizzo, John K.; Hogan, Daniel P.; Ejzak, Larissa M. (20 November 2005)."Gamma-Ray Bursts and the Earth: Exploration of Atmospheric, Biological, Climatic, and Biogeochemical Effects".The Astrophysical Journal.634(1): 509–533.arXiv:astro-ph/0505472.Bibcode:2005ApJ...634..509T.doi:10.1086/496914.S2CID2046052.Retrieved22 October2022.
  157. ^Pavlov, A.K.; Blinov, A.V.; Konstantinov, A.N.; et al. (2013)."AD 775 pulse of cosmogenic radionuclides production as imprint of a Galactic gamma-ray burst".Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc.435(4): 2878–2884.arXiv:1308.1272.Bibcode:2013MNRAS.435.2878P.doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1468.S2CID118638711.
  158. ^Hambaryan, V.V.; Neuhauser, R. (2013)."A Galactic short gamma-ray burst as cause for the14C peak in AD 774/5 ".Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.430(1): 32–36.arXiv:1211.2584.Bibcode:2013MNRAS.430...32H.doi:10.1093/mnras/sts378.S2CID765056.
  159. ^Mekhaldi; et al. (2015)."Multiradionuclide evidence for the solar origin of the cosmic-ray events of ᴀᴅ 774/5 and 993/4".Nature Communications.6:8611.Bibcode:2015NatCo...6.8611M.doi:10.1038/ncomms9611.PMC4639793.PMID26497389.
  160. ^"Illustration of a Short Gamma-Ray Burst Caused by a Collapsing Star".July 26, 2021.RetrievedAugust 3,2021.
  161. ^Lauren Fuge (20 November 2018)."Milky Way star set to go supernova".Cosmos.Retrieved7 April2019.
  162. ^Vink JS (2013)."Gamma-ray burst progenitors and the population of rotating Wolf-Rayet stars".Philos Trans Royal Soc A.371(1992): 20120237.Bibcode:2013RSPTA.37120237V.doi:10.1098/rsta.2012.0237.PMID23630373.
  163. ^Y-H. Chu; C-H. Chen; S-P. Lai (2001)."Superluminous supernova remnants".In Mario Livio; Nino Panagia; Kailash Sahu (eds.).Supernovae and Gamma-Ray Bursts: The Greatest Explosions Since the Big Bang.Cambridge University Press. p. 135.ISBN978-0-521-79141-0.
  164. ^Van Den Heuvel, E. P. J.; Yoon, S.-C. (2007). "Long gamma-ray burst progenitors: Boundary conditions and binary models".Astrophysics and Space Science.311(1–3): 177–183.arXiv:0704.0659.Bibcode:2007Ap&SS.311..177V.doi:10.1007/s10509-007-9583-8.S2CID38670919.

References

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
GRB mission sites
GRB follow-up programs