Consider the following statements regarding the Gamma Ray Burst: It is...
A big star met its demise in a massive explosion called a supernova that unleashed a huge burst of gamma rays traversed the cosmos which reached Earth last year, caused a significant disturbance in Earth's ionosphere.
- It is a powerful astronomical cosmic burst of high-energy gamma-ray.
- It emits more energy in a few seconds than our Sun will emit in its lifetime.
- It has two distinct emission phases: the short-lived prompt emission (the initial burst phase that emits gamma-rays), followed by a long-lived multi-wavelength afterglow phase.
- The shortest GRBs likely mark the collision of two compact stellar remnants called neutron stars, and the longest bursts are thought to arise when a massive, rapidly spinning star collapses to form a black hole.
- Sources of Gamma Ray
- They are produced by the hottest and most energetic objects in the universe, such as neutron stars and pulsars, supernova explosions, and regions around black holes.
- On Earth, gamma waves are generated by nuclear explosions, lightning, and the less dramatic activity of radioactive decay.
Hence both statements are correct.
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Consider the following statements regarding the Gamma Ray Burst: It is...
Gamma Ray Burst
Statement 1: It is an astronomical phenomenon which emits high energy in a very short period.
Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are indeed astronomical phenomena that emit extremely high-energy gamma rays over a short period of time. They are the most energetic explosions in the universe and can last from a few milliseconds to several minutes. These bursts are observed across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from gamma rays to radio waves.
Statement 2: It arises when a massive, rapidly spinning star collapses to form a black hole.
Gamma Ray Bursts are believed to originate from various astrophysical processes, but the most widely accepted theory is that they occur when a massive star, at least ten times the mass of the Sun, collapses and forms a black hole. This process is known as a core-collapse supernova.
During a supernova, the core of the massive star collapses under its own gravity, leading to the formation of a black hole. As the collapsing core spins faster and faster, it generates powerful jets of energy and matter. These jets are responsible for the emission of gamma rays that are observed as GRBs.
The exact mechanism behind the generation of the jets is still not fully understood. However, it is thought to involve the interaction of the collapsing core with a surrounding accretion disk or the magnetic fields present in the star.
Conclusion:
Both statements are correct. Gamma Ray Bursts are astronomical phenomena that emit high energy over a short period, and they are believed to occur when a massive, rapidly spinning star collapses to form a black hole.