Gamma-ray burst

Article By:

Cominsky, Lynn Department of Physics and Astronomy, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California.

Last reviewed:November 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.801000

Show previous versions

• Gamma-ray bursts, published 2016:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Gamma-ray bursts, published June 2013:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

Short cosmic blasts of very high energy electromagnetic radiation (gamma radiation) that are recorded at an average of about once per day by detectors placed above the Earth's atmosphere. At distances of billions of light-years, the energy emitted in a gamma-ray burst (GRB) is more than a billion billion (10¹⁸) times the energy emitted each second by the Sun (Fig. 1). The mechanism for the origin of gamma-ray bursts remains a focus of current research. Gamma-ray bursts longer than 2 s appear to be associated with the supernova explosions of massive stars in distant galaxies. Recent evidence supports that shorter gamma-ray bursts are the result of merging neutron stars or black holes, although other explanations are also possible. There are indications that both types of gamma-ray bursts lead to the birth of black holes. See also: Black hole; Galaxy; Gamma rays; Neutron star; Star; Supernova

The content above is only an excerpt.