Giant GRB Ring

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The Giant GRB Ring is a ring of 9 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) that may be associated with one of the largest known cosmic structures. [1] It was discovered in July 2015 [2] by a team of Hungarian and American astronomers led by L.G. Balazs while analyzing data from different gamma-ray and X-ray telescopes, in particular the Swift Spacecraft. [2]

Contents

The ring of GRBs lies at a distance of about 2.8 gigaparsecs (9.1 billion light years) from Earth at the redshift between 0.78 and 0.86 [2] and measures about 1.72 gigaparsecs (5.6 billion light years) in diameter, [2] making it one of the largest structures known. [3]

Typically, the distribution of GRBs in the universe appears in the sets of less than the 2σ distribution, or with fewer than two GRBs in the average data of the point-radius system. Thus, such a concentration as this appears extremely unlikely, given accepted theoretical models. Proposals include the existence of a giant supergalactic structure. This would be an extremely huge structure of the universe, with a mean size of about 5.6 billion light years. Such a supercluster can explain the significant distribution of GRBs because of its tie to star formation. If such a structure did exist, it would be one of the largest structures of the observable universe. [4]

Discovery

In early July 2015, after the discovery of the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall, I. Horvath, J. Hakkila and Z. Bagoly, among others, conducted a further detailed analysis of the spatial distribution of GRBs within the distant universe. Provided by more than 15 years of data from the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission, amongst other ground-based telescopes, they assessed the data to see if any more structures can be seen using the method of GRB correlation. They noticed a significant clustering of GRBs within z = 0.78–0.86, with nine GRBs concentrated in that region of 43 by 30 degrees of the sky. [5] With further tests and analyses of the clustering, they found out that the sample had a higher concentration than the expected normal level, indication of a massive galactic structure within the vicinity. [2]

Characteristics

The authors list the following characteristics for the 9 GRBs in the ring (l and b are standard Sun-referenced galactic coordinates). [2]

Coordinates of GRB objects in the Giant GRB Ring
GRB IDRedshiftDistance (Mpc)l (deg)b (deg)
0409240.8592866149.05−42.52
101225A0.8472836114.45−17.20
0807100.8452831118.43−42.96
0508240.8282786123.46−39.99
071112C0.8232772150.37−28.43
0510220.8092736106.53−41.28
100816A0.8042723101.39−32.53
120729A0.8002712123.85−12.65
0602020.7852672142.92−20.54

It is approximately 9.1 billion light years from Earth and about 5.6 billion light years across. [6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ O'Neill, Ian (2015-08-07). "Giant Mystery Ring of Galaxies Should Not Exist". Space.com . Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Balazs, L.G.; Bagoly, Z.; Hakkila, J.E.; Horvath, I.; Kobori, J.; Racz, I.I.; Toth, L.V. (2015-08-05). "A giant ring-like structure at 0.78 < z < 0.86 displayed by GRBs". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 452 (3): 2236. arXiv: 1507.00675 . Bibcode:2015MNRAS.452.2236B. doi: 10.1093/mnras/stv1421 .
  3. ↑ "5 billion light years across: the largest feature in the universe". Royal Astronomical Society . 2015-08-06. Archived from the original on 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  4. ↑ "Five billion light years across: The largest feature in the universe". ScienceDaily . August 4, 2015. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  5. ↑ "Astronomers Discover Ring-Like Structure 5.6 Billion Light-Years Across". Sci.News. 2015-08-05. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  6. ↑ O'Neill, Ian (August 4, 2015). "Giant Mystery Ring of Galaxies Should Not Exist". Discovery News. Archived from the original on 2015-08-07. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
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