An international team of scientists, led by astrophysicists from the University of Bath in the UK, has measured the magnetic field in a far-off Gamma-Ray Burst, confirming for the first time a decades-long theoretical prediction – that the magnetic field in these blast waves becomes scrambled after the ejected material crashes into, and shocks, the surrounding medium.
Black holes are formed when massive stars (at least 40 times larger than our Sun) die in a catastrophic explosion that powers a blast wave.
These extremely energetic events drive out material at velocities close to the speed of light, and power bright, short-lived gamma-ray flashes that can be detected by satellites orbiting the Earth – hence their name, Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). [Read more…] about Space scientists solve a decades-long gamma-ray burst puzzle