Extragalactic origin of gamma-ray bursts. Revision 1
Detectors of gamma-rays carried by satellites and later by high-flying balloons showed the existence of events lasting from fifteen milliseconds to about a hundred seconds, arriving from all directions in space. A few hundred events have been observed in a little more than a decade. The energy of gamma-rays range from a few kilovolts to millions of volts. Recent evidence indicates that considerable energy may be carried at least in some cases even above 10 MeV. But the bulk of the energy appeared to be emitted between 100 and 200 keV. The observed intensities range between 10/sup -3/ and 10/sup -7/ ergs/cm/sup 2/. The simple facts about intensity distribution are compatible with two extreme assumptions but exclude intermediate hypotheses. Either the events occur in our own galaxy in a region smaller than the thickness of the galaxy or they are of extragalactic origin and come from distant galaxies. Practically all attempted explanations have made the former explanation which requires that a mass of approximately 10/sup 20/ grams impinges on a neutron star (assuming a near to 100% conversion of gravitational energy available on the surface of the neutron star or 10/sup 20/ ergs/gram into gamma-rays which, of course, is unrealistic). In case of an extragalactic origin, the neutron star must attract and convert, as we shall see, about 2 x 10/sup 30/ grams or 10/sup -3/ of the solar mass. It is perhaps the size of such events which deterred a detailed discussion of this alternative. Montgomery Johnson and I have tried to assume these big collisions, explore the consequences, and I shall talk about this extragalactic hypothesis.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 6213946
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-91744-Rev.1; CONF-8407110-1-Rev.1; ON: DE85005622
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 6. quantum theory and the sturctures of time and space symposium, Tutzing, F. R. Germany, 2 Jul 1984
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Gamma-ray bursts from remnant neutron star disks
THE ELECTROMAGNETIC MODEL OF SHORT GRBs, THE NATURE OF PROMPT TAILS, SUPERNOVA-LESS LONG GRBs, AND HIGHLY EFFICIENT EPISODIC ACCRETION
Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMIC GAMMA BURSTS
ORIGIN
COLLISIONS
INTERGALACTIC SPACE
NEUTRON STARS
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
PRIMARY COSMIC RADIATION
RADIATIONS
SPACE
STARS
640103* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Quasi-Stellar
Radio
& X-Ray Sources- (-1987)