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Redefining The Universe’s Most Violent Explosions

Semester: Summer 2023


Presentation description

Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the highest energy events in the universe, and are observed in distant galaxies. They are caused either by very high mass stars exploding in violent supernovae, or already dead remnants of these stars colliding with each other. GRBs display two distinct emission periods, prompt emission, and afterglow. By measuring the afterglow we are able to establish certain physical properties of the GRB, such as the proportion of the energy that is in the magnetic field, the density of the environment, and the energy of the GRB as a whole. These parameters are found by measuring the brightness evolution of the GRB over different frequencies of light, and over time. Other elements about the GRB or elements of other phenomena can also be measured, such as the host brightness of the galaxy, background supernova, or a reverse shock which travels backwards from the GRB.|What we have done is provide a more definitive distribution of the physical parameters of GRBs by sampling a uniform distribution of GRBs, estimating the parameters, and running a Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation on each GRB. In this project we will summarize the results of GRB 050525A, in which numerous other elements were measured such as a reverse shock and supernova emission, and GRB 061007A.

Presenter Name: Clayton Miller
Presentation Type: Poster
Presentation Format: In Person
Presentation #89
College: Science
School / Department: Physics & Astronomy
Research Mentor: Tanmoy Laskar
Date | Time: Thursday, Aug 3rd | 10:30 AM