gamma ray bursts (GRBs) tagged posts

New simulation also shows gamma ray bursts are 10 times rarer than previously thought. A Northwestern University-led team of astrophysicists has developed the first-ever full 3D simulation of an entire evolution of a jet formed by a collapsing star, or a “collapsar.”

Because these jets generate gamma ray bursts (GRBs) — the most energetic and luminous events in the universe since the Big Bang — the simulations have shed light on these peculiar, intense bursts of light. Their new findings include an explanation for the longstanding question of why GRBs are mysteriously punctuated by quiet moments — blinking between powerful emissions and an eerily quiet stillness. The new simulation also shows that GRBs are even rarer than previously thought.

The new study will be published on Ju...

For 10 years, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has scanned the sky for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the universe’s most luminous explosions. A new catalog of the highest-energy blasts provides scientists with fresh insights into how they work.

“Each burst is in some way unique,” said...

An image of the distribution of GRBs on the sky at a distance of 7 billion light years, centred on the newly discovered ring. The positions of the GRBs are marked by blue dots and the Milky Way is indicated for reference, running from left to right across the image. Credit: L. Balazs.

5 billion light years is a distance almost inconceivable, even on a cosmic scale ie 35,000 galaxies the size of our Milky Way are needed to cover that distance. Hungarian-U.S. team have now found a structure this big really exists in the observable universe.

The researchers found a ring of 9 gamma ray bursts (GRBs)—the most luminous events in the universe—5B light yrs in diameter, and having a nearly regular circular shape, with a 1 in 20,000 probability of the GRBs being in this distribution by chance...