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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Cosmic Explosions: The Beasts and Their Lair

Cosmic Explosions: The Beasts and Their Lair

Berger, EDO

Paperback

Astronomy & SpacePhysics

ISBN10: 1581122330
ISBN13: 9781581122336
Publisher: Dissertation.com
Published: Jul 1 2004
Pages: 200
Weight: 0.81
Height: 0.42 Width: 7.44 Depth: 9.69
Language: English
The diversity of stellar death is revealed in the energy, velocity and geometry of the explosion debris (ejecta''). Using multi-wavelength observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows I show that GRBs, arising from the death of massive stars, are marked by relativistic, collimated ejecta (jets'') with a wide range of opening angles. These results suggest that various cosmic explosions are powered by a common energy source, an engine'' (possibly an accreting stellar-mass black hole), with their diverse appearances determined solely by the variable high velocity output. On the other hand, using radio observations I show that local type Ibc core-collapse supernovae generally lack relativistic ejecta and are therefore not powered by engines. Instead, the highest velocity debris in these sources, typically with a velocity lower than 100,000 km/sec, are produced in the (effectively) spherical ejection of the stellar envelope. The relative rates of engine- and collapse-powered explosions suggest that the former account for only a small fraction of the stellar death rate. Using the first radio and submillimeter observations of GRB hosts, I show that some are extreme starburst galaxies with the bursts directly associated with the regions of most intense star formation. I suggest, by comparison to other well-studied samples, that GRBs preferentially occur in sub-luminous, low mass galaxies, undergoing the early stages of a starburst process. If confirmed with future observations, this trend will place GRBs in the forefront of star formation and galaxy evolution studies.

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