Astronomers mostly thought that there were just two ways to produce a gamma-ray burst. GRB 211211A busts that idea.
As the weeks wore on and no supernova appeared, the researchers grew confused. Their observations revealed that whatever had made the GRB had also emitted much more optical and infrared light than is typical for the source of a long GRB.. The match was nearly perfect. “That’s when many people got convinced we were talking about a kilonova,” she says.
Now the question is, what happened? Typically, merging neutron stars collapse into a black hole almost immediately. The gamma rays come from material that is superheated as it falls into the black hole, but the material is scant, and the black hole gobbles it up within two seconds. So how did GRB 211211A keep its light going for almost a minute?
Another possibility is that a neutron star collided with a small black hole, about five times the mass of the sun, instead of another neutron star. And the process of the black hole eating the neutron star took longer., astrophysicist Bing Zhang of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and colleagues suggest in. “We suggest a third type of progenitor, something very different from the previous two types,” he says.
Whatever its origins, GRB 211211A is a big deal for physics. “It is important because we wanted to understand, what on Earth are these events?” Kouveliotou says.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Gigaelectronvolt emission from a compact binary merger - NatureThe observation of transient-like gigaelectronvolt emission in the high-energy gamma-rays of GRB 211211A, from the merger of two compact binary objects, is reported.
Leer más »
Unexpected Kilonova Discovery: Colossal Explosion Challenges Our Understanding of Gamma-Ray BurstsInternational Gemini Observatory uncovers surprising evidence of colliding neutron stars after probing aftermath of gamma-ray burst. While investigating the aftermath of a long gamma-ray burst (GRB), two independent teams of astronomers using a host of telescopes in space and on Earth have uncove
Leer más »
Expecting a Dying Star, Astronomers Followed a Monstrous Flash to Something ElseA flash of powerful light from a galaxy just over a billion light-years away is upending our understanding of the most powerful explosions in the Universe.
Leer más »
UC Santa Cruz astronomers take lead in search for life on alien worlds“Ultimately, I want to understand the conditions that make a rock into a living world.” — UCSC astronomer Natalie Batalha.
Leer más »
Astronomers Have Found Two Temperate Super-Earths Orbiting a Nearby Red DwarfThese planets are two of the most promising candidates for follow-up studies. James Webb Space Telescope, are you listening?
Leer más »
Ground Telescopes can Adapt to Satellite Megaconstellations if They get Accurate Telemetry DataGround Telescopes can Adapt to Satellite Megaconstellations if They get Accurate Telemetry Data - by spacewriter
Leer más »