According to new observations by ALMA, one of the most powerful short gamma-ray bursts has been seen.
When a pair of stars collide, the light of which is referred to as a kilonova, it is a dramatic explosion. Two tight jets shoot opposite directions into space after the mergers.
The European Space Agency's INTEGRAL X-ray and gamma-ray observatory detected a short burst of radiation in November of 2021.
The first time we tried to observe such an event was with the ALMA telescope. It was amazing to catch this shining so bright.
The study suggests that there might be a lot of gamma-ray bursts.
Accurately detecting the afterglow from the merger in the millimeter-wavelength light that ALMA is tuning gives astronomy an advantage.
The density of the environment around the GRB can be determined with the help of millimeter wavelength. The millimeter-wave light and the X-rays can tell us a lot about the explosion.
The GRB's jets move at nearly the speed of light, smashing through the surrounding gas and speeding up electrons. The total energy of the explosion can be determined by the peak of the radiation from those electrons.
According to ALMA's measurement, GRB 211106A released a total energy between 2 x 1050 erg and 6 x 1051 erg, which makes it one of the most powerful short GRBs ever detected. The sun releases just 3.8 erg per second compared to one erg.
The merger took place between 6.3 and 9.1 billion years ago, and the galaxy in which it took place is now 20 billion light-years away. The waves released by the merger were too weak to be detected.
It is possible to observe with ALMA and see the afterglow at millimeter wavelengths longer than in X-rays. Astronomers have more time to study the GRB jet because it begins as a narrow stream and gradually opens out.
The opening angle of the jet is the widest ever measured for a short GRB. The bigger the jet, the higher the chance we have of seeing a GRB.
The rate of mergers in the universe is calculated by how many short GRBs we see and the opening angles of their jets. Scientists may overestimation how many mergers are taking place if more short GRBs have bigger jets.
The rate at which stars come together is a big deal for chemistry. Some of the universe's heaviest and most precious elements, such as gold, Platinum and silver, are forged by these mergers. Scientists estimate that a single merger of two or more stars can produce between 3 and 13 Earth mass of gold. The rate at which neutron-star mergers take place affects the amount of elements in the universe.
Analyzing short GRBs and their afterglows has been made easier thanks to the discovery of the collision. After a decade of observing short GRBs, it is truly amazing to see the power of using these new technologies to unwrap surprise gifts from the universe.
The paper will be published in the upcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters.
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