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- 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.
- 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.
- Subjects
GAMMA ray bursts; X-rays; GALAXIES; METAPHYSICAL cosmology; COSMOLOGICAL distances; BINARY stars
- Publication
Nature, 2005, Vol 437, Issue 7060, p855
- ISSN
0028-0836
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/nature04213