Gamma Ray Bursts Research Paper

Gamma ray bursts are short, but massive explosions of high frequency electromagnetic radiation. The initial bursts are usually followed by a longer afterglow emitted at a longer wavelength. These bursts (in minutes) give out more energy than the sun during its entire lifetime (10 billion years) and are the most powerful explosions known in the entire universe. They can last from 10 milliseconds to several hours. Gamma-ray bursts are divided into two groups, long and short, depending on if they last greater or less than 2 seconds. The ratio of small bursts to long ones are 5:1. Long gamma ray bursts are known to happen with the deaths of massive stars during the hypernova or supernova, while short gamma ray bursts are known to happen when 2 neutron stars merge.
Gamma ray bursts are only known to happen in places with almost all hydrogen and helium. Scientists believe that a gamma ray burst caused one of

The Vela 4 and Vela 3 satellites detected a flash of gamma radiation unlike anything ever seen before or any known nuclear weapons. Not considering it urgent enough for immediate study, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory put the data away for investigation. Additional Vela satellites were launched with better equipment. Los Alamos continued to find gamma ray bursts in their data. By analyzing the different arrival times of the bursts by different satellites, the Los Alamos was able to determine estimates for the positions of sixteen gamma ray bursts. They were able to rule out any possibility of origin in the milky way. The discovery was declassified and published. Little progress was made for years. It was only in 1991 when the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and its Burst and Transient Source Explorer was launched into space. This instrument provided important data that showed that gamma ray bursts are not pointed towards any particular direction like toward the galactic plane or the galactic