Spectral breaks for theorists
Article Abstract:
New spectral data from gamma-ray bursts may help astrophysicists determine the bursts' origin. B.E. Schaefer and colleagues obtained the data from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) being carried by the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory satellite. BATSE detected distinct breaks in the spectra between the 400 keV and 2 MeV energies. Moreover, BATSE found relatively few remote gamma-ray sources although the bursts were spread isotropically through space. Further analysis of these findings should determine whether the hypothesis that the bursts derive from cosmological neutron stars is correct.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1992
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Receding from our grasp
Article Abstract:
Gamma-ray bursts may derive from outside the Milky Way Galaxy, with the strange fluctuations in their properties being a consequence of their cosmological evolution. E.E. Fenimore and colleagues reached these conclusions based on analysis of data from the satellite-borne Compton Gamma-ray Observatory, including the Burst and Transient Source Experiment. The cosmological gamma-ray sources may result from the collision of neutron stars in binary systems in galaxies at redshifts of about 1.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1992
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Ignition of X-ray flares
Article Abstract:
Bursts of X-rays coming from the cores of galaxies may be generated by an unstable reaction between photons and protons moving at relativistic speeds. A chain reaction occurs when the density of relativistic protons reaches a critical value, because the rate of X-ray production increases with X-ray density. The X-rays are emitted by positron-electron pairs as they move through the magnetic field. The pairs are generated by protons interacting with ultraviolet photons.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1992
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