Discovery of the short γ-ray burst GRB 050709.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Discovery of the short γ-ray burst GRB 050709.
Authors: Villasenor, J. S., Lamb, D. Q., Ricker, G. R., Atteia, J.-L., Kawai, N., Butler, N., Nakagawa, Y., Jernigan, J. G., Boer, M., Crew, G. B., Donaghy, T. Q., Doty, J., Fenimore, E. E., Galassi, M., Graziani, C., Hurley, K., Levine, A., Martel, F., Matsuoka, M., Olive, J.-F.
Source: Nature. 10/6/2005, Vol. 437 Issue 7060, p855-858. 4p. 2 Charts, 4 Graphs.
Subjects: Gamma ray bursts, X-rays, Galaxies, Metaphysical cosmology, Cosmological distances, Binary stars
Abstract: Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) fall into two classes: short-hard and long-soft bursts. The latter are now known to have X-ray and optical afterglows, to occur at cosmological distances in star-forming galaxies, and to be associated with the explosion of massive stars. In contrast, the distance scale, the energy scale and the progenitors of the short bursts have remained a mystery. Here we report the discovery of a short-hard burst whose accurate localization has led to follow-up observations that have identified the X-ray afterglow and (for the first time) the optical afterglow of a short-hard burst; this in turn led to the identification of the host galaxy of the burst as a late-type galaxy at z = 0.16 (ref. 10). These results show that at least some short-hard bursts occur at cosmological distances in the outskirts of galaxies, and are likely to be caused by the merging of compact binaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Description
Abstract:Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) fall into two classes: short-hard and long-soft bursts. The latter are now known to have X-ray and optical afterglows, to occur at cosmological distances in star-forming galaxies, and to be associated with the explosion of massive stars. In contrast, the distance scale, the energy scale and the progenitors of the short bursts have remained a mystery. Here we report the discovery of a short-hard burst whose accurate localization has led to follow-up observations that have identified the X-ray afterglow and (for the first time) the optical afterglow of a short-hard burst; this in turn led to the identification of the host galaxy of the burst as a late-type galaxy at z = 0.16 (ref. 10). These results show that at least some short-hard bursts occur at cosmological distances in the outskirts of galaxies, and are likely to be caused by the merging of compact binaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:00280836
DOI:10.1038/nature04213