A brief, cuttingedge introduction to the brightest cosmic phenomena known to science Gammaray bursts are the brightest and, until recently, among the least understood cosmic events in the universe. Discovered by chance during the cold war, these evanescent highenergy explosions confounded astronomers for decades. But a rapid series of startling breakthroughs beginning in 1997 revealed that the majority of gammaray bursts are caused by the explosions of young and massive stars in the vast starforming cauldrons of distant galaxies. New findings also point to very different origins for some events, serving to complicate but enrich our understanding of the exotic and violent universe. What Are GammaRay Bursts? is a succinct introduction to this fastgrowing subject, written by an astrophysicist who is at the forefront of today's research into these incredible cosmic phenomena. Joshua Bloom gives readers a concise and accessible overview of gammaray bursts and the theoretical framework that physicists have developed to make sense of complex observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. He traces the history of remarkable discoveries that led to our current understanding of gammaray bursts, and reveals the decisive role these phenomena could play in the grand pursuits of twentyfirst century astrophysics, from studying gravity waves and unveiling the growth of stars and galaxies after the big bang to surmising the ultimate fate of the universe itself. What Are GammaRay Bursts? is an essential primer to this exciting frontier of scientific inquiry, and a mustread for anyone seek... See more
A brief, cuttingedge introduction to the brightest cosmic phenomena known to science Gammaray bursts are the brightest and, until recently, among the least understood cosmic events in the universe. Discovered by chance during the cold war, these evanescent highenergy explosions confounded astronomers for decades. But a rapid series of startling breakthroughs beginning in 1997 revealed that the majority of gammaray bursts are caused by the explosions of young and massive stars in the vast starforming cauldrons of distant galaxies. New findings also point to very different origins for some events, serving to complicate but enrich our understanding of the exotic and violent universe. What Are GammaRay Bursts? is a succinct introduction to this fastgrowing subject, written by an astrophysicist who is at the forefront of today's research into these incredible cosmic phenomena. Joshua Bloom gives readers a concise and accessible overview of gammaray bursts and the theoretical framework that physicists have developed to make sense of complex observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. He traces the history of remarkable discoveries that led to our current understanding of gammaray bursts, and reveals the decisive role these phenomena could play in the grand pursuits of twentyfirst century astrophysics, from studying gravity waves and unveiling the growth of stars and galaxies after the big bang to surmising the ultimate fate of the universe itself. What Are GammaRay Bursts? is an essential primer to this exciting frontier of scientific inquiry, and a mustread for anyone seeking to keep pace with cuttingedge developments in physics today.
