2023-08-26 01:43:03
Thanks to the Gemini Southern Telescope, astronomers have discovered a new way to destroy stars: by colliding near a supermassive black hole in an ancient galaxy. This discovery provides a new perspective on the environments around these black holes and the undiscovered collisions that occur within them. Astronomers studying a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) using the Gemini South Telescope, which is operated by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Black Lab, may have discovered an unprecedented way to destroy a star. Unlike most GRBs, which result from the explosion of massive stars or the serendipitous merger of neutron stars, astronomers have concluded that these explosions arise instead from the collision of stars or stellar remnants in the crowded surroundings of massive space. The black hole at the heart of an ancient galaxy. The Nature of Star Death Stars in the universe generally end their lives in predictable ways, determined by their mass. Relatively low-mass stars, such as our Sun, shed their outer layers with age and eventually die to become relatively low-mass stars. white dwarf stars. More massive stars burn more powerfully and die earlier in catastrophic supernova explosions, creating ultra-dense objects like neutron stars and black holes. If two of these stellar remnants form a binary system, they are also likely to collide. However, new research points to a fourth option, which has long been hypothesized but not seen before. This artist’s impression shows how astronomers studying a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) using the Gemini South Telescope, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, may have discovered a new way to destroy the star. Unlike most GRBs, which are caused by the explosion of massive stars or the serendipitous merger of neutron stars, astronomers have concluded that these explosions originate instead from the collision of stars or stellar remnants in the crowded environment surrounding a supermassive black hole at the galactic core. old galaxy Revealing New Discoveries In the search for the origins of the Long Duration GRB, astronomers used the Gemini South Telescope in Chile, part of the Gemini International Observatory operated by the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, along with the Northern Optical Telescope and THE. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has detected evidence of stars colliding or remnants of stars in a demolition derby-like manner in a chaotic, densely populated region near the supermassive black hole of an ancient galaxy. “These new findings show that stars can face their demise in some of the denser regions of the universe where they can be induced to collide,” said Andrew Levan, an astronomer at Radboud University in the Netherlands and lead author of a paper published in the journal Radboud. Newspaper. Nature Astronomy Journal. “It’s exciting to understand how stars die and to answer other questions, such as what unexpected sources might create the gravitational waves we might detect on Earth.” Evidence and Observational Results Ancient galaxies have long passed their peak of star formation, leaving few, if any, giant stars and are the main source of long GRBs. However, their cores are teeming with stars and a collection of superdense remnants, such as white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. Astronomers have long suspected that in the hive of turbulent activity surrounding a supermassive black hole, it would be only a matter of time before two stellar objects collided to produce GRBs. However, evidence for this type of fusion remains elusive. Astronomers studying a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) with the Gemini International Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, may have noticed a new way of destroying a star. Unlike most GRBs, which are caused by the explosion of massive stars or the serendipitous merger of neutron stars, astronomers have concluded that these explosions originate instead from the collision of stars or stellar remnants in the crowded environment surrounding a supermassive black hole at the galactic core. old galaxy Source: Gemini Observatory International/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. garlic / m. Temporal The first hints of such an event were seen on October 19, 2019, when NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory detected a bright flash of gamma rays that lasted just over a minute. Any GRB longer than 2 seconds is considered “long”. Such explosions usually come from supernovae deaths of stars at least 10 times the mass of our Sun, but not always. The researchers then used Gemini south to make long-term observations of the GRB’s followingglow to learn more regarding its origins. The observations allowed the astronomers to locate the GRB explosions in a region less than 100 light-years from the core of an ancient galaxy, bringing it very close to the galaxy’s supermassive black hole. The researchers also found no evidence of a similar supernova, which would have left its mark on the light studied by Gemini South. An overview of the GRB’s origins: “Our subsequent observations told us that rather than being the collapse of a massive star, the explosion was most likely caused by the merger of two merging objects,” Levan said. “By locating it in the center of an ancient, previously identified galaxy, we had the first tantalizing evidence of a new way for stars to deal with their own demise.” From a dizzying height, it’s possible to take in the size and distance of the Gemini South Telescope, half of the Gemini International Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab. Gemini Sud is located on Serru Bachon mountain at 2,715 meters (8,900 ft) above sea level, and benefits from the stable conditions of the microclimate. The dry air that makes it easier to “see” with a telescope is barely visible over the sprawling Chilean Andes in the background. This image also captures the telescope’s 8-meter-diameter mirror looking through the dome structure, an unusual daytime event, and the solar panels (lower right), which power the telescope during nighttime observations of the southern sky. Source: Gemini Observatory International/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Matsopoulos In normal galactic environments, long GRBs produced from the remnants of colliding stars such as neutron stars and black holes are extremely rare. However, the cores of ancient galaxies are not normal at all, and there might be a million or more stars clustered in an area just a few light-years away. Such an intense population density can be large enough that stellar collisions occasionally occur, especially under the gigantic gravity of a supermassive black hole, which can disrupt the motions of stars and cause them to move in random directions. Eventually, these stray stars will intersect and merge, unleashing a massive explosion that can be seen from vast cosmic distances. It is possible that such events occur regularly in evenly populated regions of the universe, but have not yet been observed. One possible reason for its opacity is that the galactic centers are teeming with dust and gas, which might obscure the GRB’s initial flash and resulting followingglow. This type of GRB has been identified as GRB191019A. This may be a rare exception, allowing astronomers to detect the explosion and study its effects. Future Research and Implications Researchers would like to learn more regarding these events. They hope to match the discovery of the GRB with the corresponding detection of gravitational waves, which would reveal their true nature and confirm their origins, even in the darkest of environments. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, when operational in 2025, will be invaluable to this type of research. “Studying gamma ray bursts like this is a great example of how the field has really advanced with so many facilities working together, from detecting the GRB to detecting followingglows and distances with telescopes like Gemini, through detailed dissections of events with observations across the entire planet.” . “The electromagnetic spectrum,” Levan said. “These observations add to Gemini’s rich heritage and expand our understanding of stellar evolution,” says Martin Steele, NSF program manager at the Gemini International Observatory. “Time-sensitive observations attest to the speed of Gemini’s processes and its sensitivity to dynamic, distant events across the universe.” Reference: “Long-period Gamma-Ray Burst of Dynamical Origin from the Core of an Ancient Galaxy” by Andrew J. Levan, Daniele B. Malesani, Benjamin P. Gompertz, Anya E. Nugent, Matt Nicholl, Samantha R. Oates, Daniel A. Burleigh, Gillian Rastingad, Brian D. Metzger, Steve Schulz, Elizabeth R. Stanway, Anne Enckenhage, Taiba Zafar, J. Feliciano Agui Fernandez, Ashley A. Krems, Kornbob Birumbakdi, Antonio de Ugarte Postigo, Wen Fei Fung, Andrew S. Fruchter, Giacomo Fragioni, Johann Bo Venpo, Nicola Gaspari, Casper E. Heintz, Jens Hegworth, Pal Jacobson, Peter J. Junker, Gavin B. Lamb, Elijah Mandel, Sohaib Mandhai, Maria E. Ravasio, Jesper Sullerman, and Niall R. Tanvir, Jun 22, 2023, Natural Astronomy. doi: 10.1038/s41550-023-01998-8 To learn more regarding this discovery: Reference: “Long-period gamma-ray burst of dynamical origin from the core of an ancient galaxy” by Andrew J. Levan Daniele B. Malesani, Benjamin P. Gompertz, Anya E. Nugent, Matt Nicholl, Samantha R. Oates, Daniel A. Burleigh, Gillian Rastingad, Brian D. Metzger, Steve Schulz, Elizabeth R. Stanway, Anne Enckenhage, Taiba Zafar, J. Feliciano Agui Fernandez, Ashley A. Krems, Kornbob Birumbakdi, Antonio de Ugarte Postigo, Wen Fei Fung, Andrew S. Fruchter, Giacomo Fragioni, Johann Bo Venpo, Nicola Gaspari, Casper E. Heintz, Jens Hegworth, Pal Jacobson, Peter J. Junker, Gavin B. Lamb, Elijah Mandel, Sohaib Mandhai, Maria E. Ravasio, Jesper Sullerman, and Niall R. Tanvir. Jun 22, 2023 Natural Astronomy. doi: 10.1038/s41550-023-01998-8
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