Polarization in GRB 990510

The object of study is the remnant of a mysterious cosmic explosion far out in space, first detected as a gigantic outburst of gamma rays on May 10. Gamma-Ray Bursters (GRBs) are brief flashes of very energetic radiation — they represent by far the most powerful type of explosion known in the Universe and their afterglow in optical light can be 10 million times brighter than the brightest supernovae. The May 10 event ranks among the brightest one hundred of the over 2500 GRBs detected in the last decade. It is a preliminary polarization measurement of the optical image of the afterglow of GRB 990510, as observed with the VLT 8.2-m ANTU telescope and the multi-mode FORS1 instrument. The abscissa represents the measurement angle; the ordinate the corresponding intensity. The sinusoidal curve shows the best fit to the data points (with error bars); the resulting degree of polarization is 1.7 ± 0.2 percent.

Bildnachweis:

ESO

Über das Bild

ID:eso9926e
Typ:Aufsuchkarte
Veröffentlichungsdatum:18. Mai 1999
Dazugehörige Veröffentlichungen:eso9926
Größe:800 x 718 px

Über das Objekt

Name:GRB 990510
Typ:Early Universe : Cosmology : Phenomenon : Gamma Ray Burst
Entfernung:z=1.619 (Rotverschiebung)
Kategorie:Stars

Bildformate

Großes JPEG
87,8 KB

Farben & Filter

SpektralbereichTeleskop
Very Large Telescope
FORS1