Related papers: Astrophysics: Most distant cosmic blast seen
Observations of a long-lasting Gamma-ray burst, one that has the brightest optical counterpart yet discovered, challenge theoretical understanding of these bursts but may enhance their usefulness as cosmic probes.
Observations of intensely bright star-forming galaxies both close by and in the distant Universe at first glance seem to emphasize their similarity. But look a little closer, and differences emerge.
Cosmic explosions called $\gamma$-ray bursts are the most energetic bursting events in the universe. Observations of extremely high-energy emission from two $\gamma$-ray bursts provide a new way to study these gigantic explosions.
Although they were discovered more than 25 years ago, gamma-ray bursts are still a mystery. Even their characteristic distance is highly uncertain. All that we can be confident about is that they involve compact objects and relativistic…
The discovery of a short-lived gamma-ray burst at a surprisingly early epoch in the history of the Universe shows how much is still unknown about the evolution of the parent systems of such bursts.
Fast radio bursts were discovered just over a decade ago, and their origin remains a mystery. Despite this, astronomers have been using them to investigate the matter through which their bright, impulsive radiation travels.
Since more than a century we investigate cosmic particles coming from the Universe with the aim of understanding their nature, their origin and how they are accelerated. So far, cosmic rays have provided many impressive results, giving…
Star forming galaxies represent a valuable tracer of cosmic history. Recent observational progress with Hubble Space Telescope has led to the discovery and study of the earliest-known galaxies corresponding to a period when the Universe was…
More than a decade after their discovery, astronomical Fast Radio Bursts remain enigmatic. They are known to occur at "cosmological" distances, implying large energy and radiated power, extraordinarily high brightness and coherent emission.…
Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions in the Universe. They appear connected to supernova remnants from massive stars or the merger of their remnants, and their brightness makes them temporarily detectable out to the larges…
Physicists have pondered the origin of cosmic rays for over a hundred years. However the last few years have seen an upsurge in the observation, progress in the theory and a genuine increase in the importance attached to the topic due to…
Long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the brightest electromagnetic explosions in the Universe, associated to the death of massive stars. As such, GRBs are potential tracers of the evolution of the cosmic massive star formation, metallicity, and…
Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous and probably the most relativistic events in the universe. The last few years have seen a tremendous increase in our knowledge of these events, but the source of the bursts still remains elusive. I…
Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions in the Universe, and their origin as well as mechanism are the focus of intense research and debate. More than three decades since their serendipitous discovery, followed by several…
The brightest optical flash from a gamma-ray burst (GRB) was, briefly, a naked-eye object. Several other GRBs have produced optical transients only slightly fainter. We argue that, based upon the recently accumulated data from hundreds of…
Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions in the Universe, whose origin and mechanism is the focus of intense interest. They appear connected to supernova remnants from massive stars or the merger of their remnants, and their…
Gamma-ray bursts are sudden releases of energy that for a duration of a few seconds outshine even huge galaxies. 30 years after the first detection of a gamma-ray burst their origin remains a mystery. Here I first review the ``old''…
The discovery of cosmic rays, a milestone in science, was based on the work by scientists in Europe and the New World and took place during a period characterised by nationalism and lack of communication. Many scientists that took part in…
To anyone who has read a scientific journal or even a newspaper in the last six months, it might appear that cosmic gamma-ray bursts hold no more mysteries: they are cosmological, and possibly the most powerful explosions in the Universe.…
Gigantic cosmological gamma-ray bursts have fallen into a dichotomy of long and short bursts, each with a very different origin. The discovery of an oddball burst calls for a rethink of that classification.