Breakthrough discovery puts astronomers one step closer to solving the mystery of the origin of elements that are heavier than iron.
An international team of astronomers — including Clemson University astrophysicist Dieter Hartmann — obtained observational evidence for the creation of rare heavy elements in the aftermath of a cataclysmic explosion triggered by the merger of two neutron stars.
The massive explosion unleashed a gamma-ray burst, GRB230307A, the second brightest in 50 years of observations and about 1,000 times brighter than a typical gamma-ray burst. GRB230307A was first detected by
Gamma-Ray Bursts: Windows Into Stellar Processes
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are bursts of gamma-ray light — the most energetic form of light — that last anywhere from seconds to minutes. The first GRBs were detected in the 1960s by satellites built to monitor nuclear testing.
GRBs have different causes.
Long duration GRBs are caused by supernovas, the point when a massive star reaches the end of its life and explodes into a burst of light. Short duration GRBs are caused by the merger of two neutron stars, known as a kilonova, or the merger of a DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06759-1
In addition to Hartmann, researchers from several universities in the United States as well as scientists from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Australia, Ireland, France, New Zealand, Canada, Israel, Iceland, Czech Republic and Germany were involved.