China detects world’s most powerful gamma-ray bursts, creates record 

As we all know, China is often one step ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to scientific and technological advances. After all, it did recently create the first ever artificial sun as the most sustainable and clean energy source, among other important innovations.  

And now, once again, China is back in the news for a similar reason. In case you are wondering what has China accomplished recently, it has successfully detected the most potent gamma-ray bursts or GRBs called GRB 221009A. 

This record-breaking discovery was a joint effort by the China National Radio, the China National Space Administration and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The GRB signal was traced by scientists based at China’s Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory or LHAASO (a cosmic ray observatory overseen by the Chinese Academy of Sciences) with the help of Insight or the Hard X-Ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT) and an orbiting satellite called High Energy Burst Searcher (HEBS).  

Wondering why this discovery is being deemed as record-shattering and world-altering? Because, this is both the most active and luminous electromagnetic event since the Big Bang. In fact, to put matters in perspective, these gamma-ray bursts are so strong that the energy released far exceeds the total amount of energy dissipated by the Sun during its entire lifespan. How absolutely unbelievable is that!  

Furthermore, the powerful GRBs can last from ten milliseconds to several hours. Interestingly, this high-intensity burst found by the Chinese researchers was traced at a distance of more than two thousand trillion light years from the Earth (happens once in a century) near the constellation Sagitta and had traversed approximately 1.9 billion years to reach the Earth. Also, to make matters more fascinating, this discovery will help advance the fundamental study of background light field in the universe.  

You will be also amazed to know that the previously recorded GRBs were 20 to 30 times weaker than this current one. In fact, this one is 18 TeV strong and the first GRB with energy above 10 TeV (trillion/ tera electronvolts). What’s far more interesting is that, GRBs are usually measured in GeV (giga electronvolts), but this one was far too powerful to fall into that category.  

Now that you have got acquainted with the latest development, here’s sharing a brief overview on GRBs in general. Turns out, GRBS are nothing but immensely energetic explosions observed in distant galaxies. They are flashes of gamma rays (super high frequency and high energy electromagnetic radiation emitted as a consequence of radioactivity) that seem to originate from a random point in the sky. Their most likely sources are believed to be supernova explosions of very massive stars and mergers of neutron stars. Once these stars explode, they collapse and eventually spews out energy in the form of gamma-ray bursts. 

The latest discovery was revealed by China via the global community called Gamma-ray Coordinates Network. Currently, scientists at LHAASO are busy analysing more on these super powerful GRBS.