Chinese scientists detect brightest gamma-ray burst to date: Report
Chinese scientists have detected the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) to date through combined observations from both Earth and space, according to the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The combined observations were made on October 9, 2022, by China's Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), the High Energy Burst Searcher (HEBS) -- an all-sky monitor for gamma-ray transients -- as well as China's X-ray astronomy satellite Insight-HXMT (Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope), achieving multi-spectral measurements of the gamma-ray burst, coded as GRB 221009A.
GRBs are immensely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies. They are the most energetic and luminous electromagnetic events since the Big Bang. Bursts can last from several milliseconds to several hours, producing as much energy as the Sun will emit during its entire existence, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.
The GRBs with a longer duration are generated by the collapse and explosion of stars with dozens of times the mass of the Sun, while the short bursts are produced by the merger of two compact celestial bodies, such as black holes or neutron stars, which may also be accompanied by gravitational waves, scientists say.
"GRB 221009A is a long burst, which occurred more than two billion light years away from Earth. A GRB with such huge brightness is estimated to occur only once in decades," said Zhang Shuangnan, director of the Division for Particle Astrophysics of IHEP, as well as the principal investigator of Insight-HXMT.
According to Cao Zhen, the principal investigator of LHAASO, in this observation, LHAASO detected a large number of high-energy photons,
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