What are the two types of gamma-ray bursts and how are they formed? Draw a diagr

Question

What are the two types of gamma-ray bursts and how are they formed? Draw a diagram of the Milky Way Galaxy and label the disk, bulge, and halo. What kinds of stars are found in each component (compare their ages, colors, heavy element content, orbits)? Imagine you are a hydrogen atom floating in our galaxy. Write a "biography" of your life as you go through the "galactic recycling" process, from molecular cloud to star to interstellar gas back to molecular cloud. (You don't have to remain a hydrogen atom-you can fuse into a heavier atom.) What is the observational evidence for a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy?

Explanation / Answer

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are very powerful and sudden blasts of gamma rays, the most energetic form of light. These are extremely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies.

They are broadly classified into long-duration and short-duration depending on the burst duration. Long bursts are more common and last for between 2 seconds and several minutes, while short bursts last less than 2 seconds and can be all over in only milliseconds.

Short duration bursts are those that last less than 2 seconds; lasting anywhere from a few milliseconds to 2 seconds with an average duration of about 0.3 seconds (or 300 milliseconds). These bursts appear to be associated with the merger of two neutron stars into a new black hole or a neutron star with a black hole to form a larger black hole.

Long-duration bursts last anywhere from 2 seconds to a few hundreds of seconds (several minutes), with an average time of about 30 seconds. They are associated with the deaths of massive stars in supernovas; though not every supernova produces a gamma-ray burst.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse W
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.