Record-breaking Gamma-ray Burst Released 18 Teraelectronvolts of Energy, Making It the Most Powerful Ever Detected

Scientists are investigating the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever recorded, revealing new mysteries. They discovered that the evolution of radio waves released by an enormous stellar explosion seen in 2022 was slower than models predicted

The findings are published in two new papers, one in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and another in the preprint server arXiv, and submitted for publication in the journal Nature Astronomy.

(Photo : Pixabay/Placidplace)
Record-breaking Gamma-ray Burst Released 18 Teraelectronvolts of Energy, Making It the Most Powerful Ever Detected

Brightest Gamma-ray Burst Ever Recorded

The brightest gamma-ray burst ever seen has been seen by European Space Agency (ESA) satellite telescopes, the space agency reported. Data from this unusual occurrence might be useful in understanding the intricacies of the massive explosions that produce GRBs.

James Leung, a doctorate student at the University of Sydney who co-authored the Nature Astronomy research, said that it is difficult to replicate the slow evolution of energy peaks. That is why they have to improve and build new theoretical models to comprehend such violent explosions in the cosmos.

According to Live Science, GRBs are quick, intense flashes of gamma-ray light considered to be the most violent explosions in the universe since the Big Bang. They are produced during supernovae when a dying star runs out of fuel and collapses into a neutron star or perhaps a black hole.

GRB 221009A, named the brightest burst ever seen, was discovered on October 9, 2022, when NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory detected X-rays. The supernova that most likely generated the explosion was 2.4 billion light-years away from Earth as per observations made by land- and space-based telescopes.

Tara Murphy, an astronomer at the University of Sydney and co-author of the arXiv article, said that the burst lasted only a few seconds and left an "afterglow" of emissions across the light spectrum that might continue for years.

According to Leung, there is an initial brilliant forward shock created by the materials expelled by the gamma-ray burst, followed by a reverse shock back into the cloud of ejecta. The afterglow is caused by both shocks.

READ ALSO: NASA Telescopes Detect Gamma-Ray Bursts From Star That Hit Earth

1 in a 10,000-year event

Astronomers tracked the evolution of its light curve or the form the intensity of light produces on a graph over time for 73 days after its detection, Science Alert reported. They had to stop after around 70 days because the afterglow had passed behind the Sun, but it is expected to reappear soon.

The X-ray afterglow of GRB 221009A in the immediate aftermath of the burst was the brightest ever observed by the Swift telescope, according to a team of astronomers led by Maia Williams of Pennsylvania State University. Researchers noted that only one out of 10,000 bursts in a simulation was as intense as GRB 221009A.

GRB 221009A's brightness was consistent with other gamma-ray bursts in the Swift database once distance was taken into account. Others just seem darker because they are further away. According to the team's estimations, GRB 221009A's combined properties make it very unusual.

The development of the afterglow, which does not suit the mainstream explanation, is what makes the GRB genuinely unusual. Typically, gamma-ray bursts are followed by the glow of electrons traveling at near-light speeds. Known as synchrotron emission, this is the product of shocks formed as the first explosion crashes into the interstellar medium.

Williams and her colleagues said that the afterglow indicates that GRB 221009A's jet structure is either more intricate than predicted or is not tightly collimated.

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