Kilonova: The cosmic landscape that changes understanding of long gamma-ray bursts

A study published in the journal nature It subverts decades of scientific understanding of the origin of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), led by astrophysicists at Northwestern University. Until then, it was believed that The origin of the phenomenon was due to the collapse of massive stars.

However, researchers investigating this cosmic enigma, some long GRBs actually arises from the collision of neutron stars. In December 2021, a 50-second GRB, which was quite long by known standards, caught the team’s attention. Eager to investigate, they hoped to detect the final flare typical of the fall of a massive star.

Kilonova: the cosmic show

During the research, the researchers the signature of a true cosmic spectacle, a kilonova. The rare event only occurs when a neutron star joins forces with another compact celestial body, such as a black hole or other neutron star.

But why is this important? In addition to breaking with previous beliefs about the origins of long GRBs, discovery reveals new insights into the fundamental alchemy of the universeespecially the formation of its heavier components.

Jillian Rastinejad, who led the study at Northwestern, expressed her admiration: “The gamma-ray patterns of these GRB were reminiscent of those emitted by stellar collapses. Considering that all neutron star mergers we’ve observed so far are short-lived bursts, this 50-second GRB is from the tip of a star. “But this event forces us to reevaluate our understanding of the science of gamma-ray bursts.”

Gamma-ray bursts fall into two categories. Those that last less than two seconds are labeled as short GRBs, while those that are longer are considered long GRBs. Prior to this research, scientific consensus dictated that these two classes had different birthplaces.

But when the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope caught the glow of GRB211211A, the team saw an opportunity. Despite the blast’s seemingly ordinary length, its proximity to just 1.1 billion light-years from Earth made it an excellent candidate for close scrutiny.

The analysis revealed a volatile, dim object different from the bright, slowly dying supernova. This observation led to the startling conclusion that they had witnessed something previously thought impossible: a kilonova born from neutron star mergers.

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