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The history of gamma-ray [1] began with the serendipitous detection of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) on July 2, 1967, by the U.S. Vela satellites. After these satellites detected fifteen other GRBs, Ray Klebesadel of the Los Alamos National Laboratory published the first paper on the subject, Observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts of Cosmic Origin. [2]
A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from high energy interactions like the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei or astronomical events like solar flares. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically shorter than those of X-rays.
Significant gamma-ray emission from our galaxy was first detected in 1967 [9] by the detector aboard the OSO 3 satellite. It detected 621 events attributable to cosmic gamma rays. However, the field of gamma-ray astronomy took great leaps forward with the SAS-2 (1972) and the Cos-B (1975–1982) satellites. These two satellites provided an ...
The total energy of typical gamma-ray bursts has been estimated at 3 × 10 44 J, – which is larger than the total energy (10 44 J) of ordinary supernovae (type Ia, Ibc, II), [103] with gamma-ray bursts also being more powerful than the typical supernova. [104]
Gamma rays, at the high-frequency end of the spectrum, have the highest photon energies and the shortest wavelengths—much smaller than an atomic nucleus. Gamma rays, X-rays, and extreme ultraviolet rays are called ionizing radiation because their high photon energy is able to ionize atoms, causing chemical reactions. Longer-wavelength ...
Fortunately, observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation can be used to date when star formation began in earnest. Analysis of such observations made by the Planck microwave space telescope in 2016 concluded that the first generation of stars may have formed from around 300 million years after the Big Bang.
In 1910 British physicist William Henry Bragg demonstrated that gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation, not particles, and in 1914 Rutherford and Edward Andrade measured their wavelengths, finding that they were similar to X-rays but with shorter wavelengths and higher frequency, although a 'cross-over' between X and gamma rays makes it ...
By far the brightest optical afterglow of any gamma-ray burst. GRB 080916C: z = 4.35 [Ref 9] Fermi: Formerly the most energetic gamma-ray burst observed. GRB 090423: R.A. 09 h 55 m 33.08 s Decl. +18° 08′ 58.9″ z = 8.2: Swift: Remains the record holder for most distant observed object in the universe with spectroscopic confirmation. [2 ...