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Astrophysics

Short-burst sources

Nature volume 437, pages 822–823 (2005)Cite this article

Measurements of the X-ray afterglow of long γ-ray bursts largely clarified the origin of these bright flashes of cosmic radiation. Their shorter-lived siblings are now beginning to divulge their secrets, too.

The distance, energy output and source of the mysterious flashes of high-energy radiation known as short γ-ray bursts have so far resisted all attempts at their elucidation. Observations presented in this issue1,2,3,4 establish for the first time the cosmological distance of the bursts and provide solid support for the favoured theoretical model for their origin. In this scheme, short γ-ray bursts are the expression of the enormous energy released when two compact objects — remnants of exploded stars in the form of highly dense neutron stars or black holes — merge.

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Figure 1: Bursting onto the scene.

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  1. Istituto Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, INAF, Via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133, Rome, Italy

    Luigi Piro

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  1. Luigi Piro
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Piro, L. Short-burst sources. Nature 437, 822–823 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/437822a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/437822a

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