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Astronomy

New direction for γ-rays

Nature volume 423, pages 388–389 (2003)Cite this article

The origin of energetic γ-ray bursts is still unknown. But the detection of polarization of the γ-rays provides fresh insight into the mechanism driving these powerful explosions.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are short flashes of γ-rays, typically tens of seconds long1. First detected in the 1960s, GRBs are observed at a rate of roughly one per day. Although their sources are known to reside in distant galaxies, several billion light years away, what these sources are remains a mystery. But a new clue is provided by Wayne Coburn and Steven Boggs2, who, on page 415 of this issue, report the detection of polarization — a particular orientation of the electric-field vector — in γ-rays from a burst. This discovery may shed light on the identity of the sources of GRBs, as well as on the mechanism by which the γ-rays are produced.

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Figure 1: The creation of a γ-ray burst (GRB).
Figure 2: Magnetic fields and polarization.

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  1. Faculty of Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel

    Eli Waxman

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  1. Eli Waxman
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Correspondence to Eli Waxman.

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Waxman, E. New direction for γ-rays. Nature 423, 388–389 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/423388a

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