Laboratory-Generated Plasma Fireballs Could Help Probe Microphysics of Gamma-Ray Bursts

Scientists could make "plasma fireballs" in a laboratory setting, which could help them study the nature of gamma-ray bursts.

Laboratory-Generated Black Hole Plasma Fireballs

In a new study, researchers from the University of Oxford detailed how they created plasma fireballs in a laboratory. Using the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the scientists developed an incredibly intense beam of plasma that had 300 billion protons, which is sufficient for it to begin acting like the plasma surrounding a real black hole.

According to Charles Arrowsmith, the lead author of the paper and a physicist at the University of Oxford, the research objective at the vanguard of high-energy-density science is the laboratory synthesis of plasma "fireballs" made of matter, antimatter, and photons. However, up until now, their understanding has been restricted to purely theoretical research due to the experimental difficulty of creating electron-positron pairs in sufficiently large numbers.

The recent discovery may help scientists understand the mysteries behind the gamma-ray bursts and strong jets that black holes discharge into the cosmos. This allows for the experimental investigation of the microphysics of active galactic nuclei jets or gamma-ray bursts, opening up a whole new field in laboratory astrophysics, he added. The accomplishment could aid in understanding the physics underlying supermassive black holes located at the center of most galaxies and gamma-ray bursts.

Gianluca Gregori, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Oxford and co-author of the study, stated that up until now, they have only been able to rely on satellite and ground-based observatories to discern the finest details of distant gamma-ray bursts and active galactic nuclei outflows.

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Record-Breaking Gamma-Ray Burst

GRB 221009A broke records when it erupted 2.4 billion light-years from Earth in October 2022. On Oct. 9, 2022, it was officially named the "Brightest Of All Time" (BOAT) due to its brightness. A dull afterglow that faded across a variety of light wavelengths after a very intense burst of high-energy gamma rays.

A subsequent investigation verified that the event was strong enough to disrupt the ionosphere's electric field on Earth. Astrophysicist Mirko Piersanti, the study's lead author and professor at the University of L'Aquila and the National Institute of Astrophysics in Italy, stated that the intense gamma-ray burst changed the ionospheric electric field at a distance of roughly 500 kilometers (310).

Using satellite observations and a new ad hoc developed analytical model, they were able to demonstrate that the GRB 221009A had a significant effect on Earth's ionospheric conductivity, causing a strong perturbation in both the top-side (approximately 500 kilometers) and bottom-side (approximately 500 kilometers) ionospheres, based on both satellite observations and a new ad hoc developed analytical model.

The ionosphere is a rather thick layer of the atmosphere located between 50 and 1000 kilometers (or 30 and 600 miles) above the Earth's surface. It overlaps several other atmospheric layers and reflects the radio waves that people use for communication and navigation.

After the discovery of GRB 221009A, astronomers noticed immediate changes to the lower ionosphere at altitudes of 60 to 100 kilometers. It was allegedly so strong that its effects were equivalent to a solar flare.