Astronomers think GRB 221009A represents the birth of a new black hole formed within the heart of a collapsing star. In this illustration, the black hole drives effective jets of particles taking a trip near the speed of light. The jets pierce through the star, discharging X-rays and gamma rays as they stream into space. Credit: NASA/Swift/Cruz deWilde
Scientists studying GRB 221009A, the Brightest of All Time (BOAT) gamma-ray burst, found its jet showed an uncommon structure, which may describe its extreme nature and prolonged noticeable afterglow. These findings might challenge basic theories about gamma-ray bursts and shape future research studies.
When astronomers detected the gamma-ray burst referred to as GRB 221009A on October 9, 2022, they dubbed it the BOAT, or the brightest-of-all-time. Now, months after its preliminary burst, scientists studying GRB 221009A explain an unusual structure to the jet of material expelled throughout the explosion that might describe GRB 221009As extreme nature and why its afterglow remained noticeable for so long after the event. Researchers at George Washington University (GW) and working together institutions released their findings just recently in the journal Science Advances.
Gamma-ray bursts are the most energetic and violent explosions in deep space, releasing the very same amount of energy in just a few seconds that the Sun produces over its whole life time. According to scientists, GRB 221009A resulted from the collapse of an enormous star into a black hole.
Analyzing chests of multi-wavelength information from Octobers gamma-ray burst, the research team discovered that GRB 221009As jet showed a narrow core with large sloping wings. This was different from the kinds of jets seen in gamma-ray bursts produced by other cataclysmic events and might discuss why researchers kept seeing GRB 221009As multi-wavelength radiance for months after the explosion.
Find out more about GRBs and the importance of studying them with Brendan OConnor, GW college student, and lead research study author. Credit: The George Washington University
” GRB 221009A represents an enormous advance in our understanding of gamma-ray bursts, and shows that the most extreme surges do not follow the standard physics assumed for garden variety gamma-ray bursts,” Brendan OConnor, GW graduate trainee and lead research study author, states. OConnor led the research team that was utilizing the Gemini South Telescope in Chile to observe the event last October. “GRB 221009A might be the equivalent Rosetta stone of long GRBs, requiring us to revise our standard theories of how relativistic outflows are formed in collapsing enormous stars.”
The findings will drive future research studies of gamma-ray bursts and encourage researchers to establish simulations of gamma-ray burst jet structures.
” For a long period of time, we have thought about jets as being formed like ice cream cones,” states Alexander van der Horst, associate teacher of physics at GW and research study co-author. “However, some gamma-ray bursts in current years, and in particular the work provided here, reveal that we need more complex models and in-depth computer simulations of gamma-ray burst jets.”
The research study, “A structured jet describes the severe GRB 221009A,” was released in the journal Science Advances.
For more on this study:
When astronomers discovered the gamma-ray burst known as GRB 221009A on October 9, 2022, they called it the BOAT, or the brightest-of-all-time. Now, months after its initial burst, researchers studying GRB 221009A explain an uncommon structure to the jet of product expelled during the surge that may describe GRB 221009As extreme nature and why its afterglow remained noticeable for so long after the event.” GRB 221009A represents an enormous action forward in our understanding of gamma-ray bursts, and shows that the most extreme explosions do not follow the standard physics presumed for garden variety gamma-ray bursts,” Brendan OConnor, GW graduate student and lead study author, says. “GRB 221009A may be the comparable Rosetta stone of long GRBs, forcing us to modify our standard theories of how relativistic outflows are formed in collapsing massive stars.”
Reference: “A structured jet describes the extreme GRB 221009A” by Brendan OConnor, Eleonora Troja, Geoffrey Ryan, Paz Beniamini, Hendrik van Eerten, Jonathan Granot, Simone Dichiara, Roberto Ricci, Vladimir Lipunov, James H. Gillanders, Ramandeep Gill, Michael Moss, Shreya Anand, Igor Andreoni, Rosa L. Becerra, David A. H. Buckley, Nathaniel R. Butler, Stephen B. Cenko, Aristarkh Chasovnikov, Joseph Durbak, Carlos Francile, Erica Hammerstein, Alexander J. van der Horst, Mansi M. Kasliwal, Chryssa Kouveliotou, Alexander S. Kutyrev, William H. Lee, Gokul P. Srinivasaragavan, Vladislav Topolev, Alan M. Watson, Yuhan Yang and Kirill Zhirkov, 7 June 2023, Science Advances.DOI: 10.1126/ sciadv.adi1405.
In addition to OConnor and van der Horst, numerous other GW scientists contributed to this study and others associated to GRB 221009A, consisting of physics college student Michael Moss, Professor Chryssa Kouveliotou, Associate Professor Sylvain Guiriec, and Research Faculty George Younes, Jonathan Granot and Paz Beniamini.” Scientists from the University of Rome also contributed to this study, which was funded by NASA, European Research Council, and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.