Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst Called BOAT Powered by Strange Jet Structure

Astronomers witnessed the largest explosion after Big Bang in the brightest gamma-ray burst, BOAT. According to a report, it could be due to its unique jet structure.

Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst After Big Bang

Researchers may have discovered the cause of the most powerful explosion the universe has ever witnessed.

The strongest gamma-ray burst (GRB) yet observed was found to have a distinctive jet structure and was pulling an exceptionally huge amount of star material with it, according to Space.com.

This may help explain the extreme characteristics of the burst and why its afterglow persisted for so long. It is thought that the burst was caused by the total gravitational collapse of a massive star that was believed to have been located approximately 2.4 billion light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Sagitta.

A GRB discovered on Oct. 9, 2022, and given the official designation GRB 221009A and dubbed the brightest of all time (BOAT), stood apart from other GRBs due to its extraordinary characteristics. An extremely bright burst of high-energy gamma rays was observed, followed by a dim afterglow that faded throughout a wide range of light wavelengths.

Brendan O'Connor, a researcher at George Washington University and the study's lead author said that GRB 221009A represents a significant advancement in our understanding of gamma-ray bursts and shows that the most extreme explosions do not follow the conventional physics assumed for common gamma-ray bursts.

Following the BOAT GRB's initial discovery in October 2023, O'Connor oversaw a team that conducted follow-up observations with the Gemini South Telescope in Chile.

According to Northwestern University Ph.D. candidate Jillian Rastinejad, a team member that monitored the BOAT on Oct. 14 following its original identification, GRB 221009A is thought to be at least ten times brighter than past extremely intense GRBs.

This GRB has produced photons with energy greater than that of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), according to the researcher.

Gamma-Ray Burst Has Unique Structure

The largest and brightest explosions in the universe, known as gamma-ray bursts, are considered to be produced during the creation of black holes. Before the BOAT was discovered, gamma-ray bursts were previously thought to be the most furious, energetic, and powerful explosions in the universe, capable of ejecting as much energy in a matter of seconds as the sun will emit in its entire lifespan of about ten billion years.

According to co-author and University of Bath Department of Physics scientist Hendrik Van Eerten, the GRB had a unique structure, with observations gradually revealing a narrow jet embedded into a broader gas outflow where an isolated jet would normally be expected.

As a result, GRB 221009A's jet seems to have broad and narrow "wings" that set it apart from the jets of other GRBs. This may help explain why, months after its initial discovery, astronomers could still see the BOAT's afterglow at various wavelengths.

Van Eerten and the crew have a hypothesis about the structure that distinguishes the BOAT jet from others. According to him, GRB jets must pass a collapsing star in which they are generated.

The amount of stellar material and jet mixing that took place, which resulted in shock-heated gas remaining in our line of sight up until the point where any distinctive jet signature would have been lost in the overall emission from the afterglow, is what they believe made the difference in this case.

Van Eerten further notes that the discoveries might illuminate other extremely bright GRBs besides the BOAT.

According to O'Connor, GRB 221009A may be the equivalent of the Rosetta Stone of long GRBs, compelling us to reevaluate our established models for how relativistic outflows develop in collapsing big stars.

As scientists work to solve the puzzles still plaguing these intense bursts of energy, the discovery may serve as the starting point for further study of GRBs. The discoveries might also aid physicists in creating more accurate models of GRB jet structure.

According to study co-author and associate professor of physics at George Washington University Alexander van der Horst, they have long believed that jets have an ice cream cone-like shape. But the recent gamma-ray bursts, particularly the study presented, demonstrate the necessity for more intricate models and thorough computer simulations of gamma-ray burst jets.

The study was published in the journal Science Advances.

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