In 1963 the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed by the Soviet Union,
the United Kingdom, and the United States. This prohibited the testing
of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, under water and in space. In order to
monitor the compliance the United States launched the Vela series of satellites.
4 Years after the signing of the treaty Vela 3 and 4 detected a short flash of gamma-rays
coming from space. This was the first detection of what is now called a gamma-ray-burst. It would
take until 1973 for the existence of gamma-ray bursts to be announced. These events can last
between 0.01 to up to 10,000 seconds and are the most luminous events that have ever been detected.
Both Voyager probes were launched in 1977 and are now more than 20 billion miles from Earth.
During their voyage they have been able to identify more than 10,000 gamma ray bursts.
On the 8th of October 2022 Voyager 1 registered a short sudden spike in its particle detectors. 19
hours later the gamma ray burst had swept through the solar system and was detected by instruments
on more than a dozen satellites. The Fermi Large Area Telescope was the first to announce this but
no location or classification of the event was sent due to real-time data issues. An hour later
the Swift Observatory had triggered on a bright transient near the plane of the Milky Way and
reported it as an unusual Galactic transient. The automated analysis of the Fermi Large Area
Telescope in response to the Swift report found a significant source of high energy photons.
By triangulating of the signal by the InterPlanetary Network they were able to
confirm the same source position for both the Swift and Fermi detections. It was called
GRB221009A. And this was no ordinary gamma ray burst. It was the brightest burst that has ever been
detected and the scientist calculated that these types of burst occur every 10,000 years and it
seems to break many of the assumptions scientists have about their current understanding of GRBs.
Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are among the most energetic events in the universe,
and their exact cause is still not fully understood. There are two types of GRBs.
1. Long-duration GRBs which last for more than two seconds (LGRBs): are believed to be caused
by the collapse of massive stars, specifically, when the core of a massive star collapses and
forms a black hole or a neutron star. The intense gravitational forces near the newly formed black
hole or neutron star generate a powerful jet of high-energy particles and radiation,
which is observed as a GRB. 2. Short-duration GRBs which last
for less than two seconds (SGRBs): are thought to be caused by the merger of two compact objects,
such as two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole. During the merger,
a burst of gamma rays is emitted as a result of the intense energy release.
The current mainstream model of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) is said
to be based on a significant amount of observational and theoretical evidence.
Some of the key pieces of evidence that support the current model include:
The association with supernovae: Long-duration GRBs have been observed to be associated with
Type Ib/c supernovae, which are believed to be the result of the core collapse of massive stars.
The detection of afterglow emission: The afterglow emission that is observed at longer wavelengths
following a GRB is consistent with the idea that the initial burst of gamma-ray emission
is generated by a relativistic jet of material that is ejected from the central engine. The
properties of the afterglow emission, such as its temporal and spectral evolution, provide
important clues about the physical processes that are occurring in the GRB environment.
The detection of X-ray flares: X-ray flares have been observed
in the afterglow emission of some GRBs, and these flares are thought
to be the result of the re-energization of the GRB jet by the central engine.
The observed variability: The rapid variability that is observed in the
gamma-ray emission from GRBs is consistent with the idea that the emission is generated
by a relativistic jet of material that is undergoing internal shocks.
Although the mainstream model of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) has improved significantly over the years,
there are still several unanswered questions and challenges that need to
be addressed. Some of the main problems with the current model of GRBs include:
The nature of the progenitor: While scientists speculate that long-duration GRBs are associated
with the collapse of massive stars and short-duration GRBs are associated with
compact object mergers, there is still much that we don't know about the specific systems
that lead to GRBs. In particular, the precise mechanism by which the central engine produces
the ultra-relativistic jets that generate the GRB emission is not well understood.
The origin of the prompt emission: While the basic mechanism for generating GRB emission is
well defined, they do not fully understand how the prompt emission is produced. In particular,
it is not clear how the high-energy photons that
make up the GRB spectrum are generated and accelerated to such high energies.
The afterglow emission: After the initial burst of gamma-ray emission,
most GRBs exhibit a long-lasting afterglow of emission that is observed at longer wavelengths,
including X-rays, optical, and radio. The nature of this afterglow emission is not well understood,
and there is still much that we don't know about the physical processes that give rise to it.
The role of magnetic fields: Magnetic fields are believed to play an important
role in the generation and collimation of the GRB jet, but their precise role is not
well understood. Additionally, the origin and structure of the magnetic fields that
are believed to be present in the GRB environment are not well constrained.
The lack of detailed observations: While they have made significant progress in observing and
characterizing GRBs, our current observational capabilities are still limited in some respects.
For example, we are not able to directly observe the central engine that powers the GRB,
and we have limited information on the structure and properties of the GRB jet.
And this leads on to the brightest ever gamma-ray burst. Despite the excitement of this detection,
it has baffled scientists since its discovery. Based on their models they can predict the
radio wavelengths that should be associated with the blast and these do not match any of
their models. Instead of experiencing fast jumps in energy as it evolved,
the bright gamma-ray burst showed a very smooth evolution. Not only this but typically these types
of GRBs are followed by a supernova event. But in this case, it is unclear if it ever experienced a
supernova after it was observed which leaves the scientists even more confused. Based on all their
models this one seems to match none of them. So are there other models of what a GRB could be?
In the Plasma and Electric Universe model, Gamma Ray bursts have a very different origin.
It was Langmuir who first discovered what is now termed as a double layer.
A double layer is created in order to separate a plasma from its environment.
It can be considered analogous to a biological cell wall. Whenever an electrical discharge
is produced between a cathode and an anode, double layers will be formed.
There is one property of a double layer which is often neglected. Double layers often if not
always produce noise and fluctuations. Lindberg studied the noise in a stationary fluctuating
double layer and demonstrated that it broadens the energy spectrum of the electrons. The plasma
may expand perpendicular to the magnetic field. The electrons in the beam which is
produced in the double layer are scattered much more by the noise than by collisions.
Noise is often associated with strong currents through the plasmas. Langmuir
proposed that random impulses strongly scatter electrons in a gas discharge.
At a very low pressure, the plasma cannot carry enough current. If the current density is too
high, an exploding double layer can form. This means that in the plasma an evacuated region is
produced. The plasma refuses to carry any current at all. At the sudden interruption, the inductance
of this stretch produces enormous over-voltages, which can ultimately be very destructive.
As it is relatively easy to measure magnetic fields, it is natural that the first description
of the electromagnetic state of interstellar and intergalactic space is based on magnetic
field descriptions. However, as no one claims - at least not explicitly - that the magnetic
fields are curl-free, we must have a network of currents. As investigations of double layers
require explicit pictures of electric currents, it is essential to apply these pictures.
Filamentary structures have been observed for some time and may
be observed everywhere where sufficient accurate observations can be made. Many
of these filaments may produce double layers and some of these may explode.
These explosions may account for X-ray and gamma-ray bursts.
In Anthony Peratt's book on the Physics of the Plasma Universe, he includes a graph
which shows the various classes of steady and burst astrophyscial sources in luminosity : and
magnetic field B in keV. He highlights that Liang has pointed out the suggestive trend
linking the so-called classical gamma ray bursters with tow other impulsive phenomena,
the aurora from geomagnetic storms and impulsive solar X-ray flares. These two gamma-ray
sources are likely to have their radiative energies supplies by electrical currents.
Eric Lerner has proposed a model where a plasmoid forms from collapsing material
which gets energised and ionised forming a dense toroid of plasma.
These ideas were based on the experiments he and others had conducted on the plasma focus device.
These created these small plasmoids and his Lerner's experiment he saw that they also
produced jets of protons and electrons from the central engine. These would also occur in bursts.
He postulated that these could be applied to large objects like quasars and later also to the central
engine of a galaxy. But gamma-ray bursts would appear to be smaller than this but also occur in
areas where there is plenty of ionised material available. In Lerner's model, there needs to be
enough starting material to create a sustainable plasmoid. But what if the initial collapse was
triggered through a pinch but the volume of material was not enough to sustain it for a
long period of time? Could gamma ray bursts be these be short lived or failed smaller plasmoids?
An alternative model has also been put forward where a disruptive discharge in a
plasma filament causes a pinching effect. In the Electric Universe model stars are connected to
these filaments and a dramatic rise in current density can cause an intense pinch to form.
So intense is the pinch that it temporarily quenches the flow of current into the star.
This pinch also accelerates the electrons and it is possible that through a process
of inverse Compton scattering that a photon is given more energy and
for the brief period of the pinch it may radiate flaring energetic photons.
As the pinch eases slightly it reconnects and now the entire Birkeland current discharges
onto the surface of the star. So violent is this discharge that it not only creates
additional heavier elements in the process across the surface but also explodes the
entire surface double layer. With nothing to hold back the charges the majority of
the material that made up the star races outwards in an explosion. A supernova
If Gamma Ray bursts are associated with the jets then maybe it is worth considering the
work of Charles Bruce. He studied electrical discharges and has written over 100 papers.
I have done a deeper look at Charles on the Thunderbolts channel and I will link that video
in the description. He describes a mechanism whereby a jet forms within long electrical
discharges. In the discharge channel, a jet of gas will be generated, which will flow along
the axis of the channel towards its advancing head. As the temperature of the channel rises,
so also will the velocity of the jet. At a certain point the velocity of the
gas will exceed that of the normal process of voltage breakdown. From that point onwards the
propagation will depend on the jet of hot gas, and the velocity will depend on its temperature.
So could these jets be the effect of a short-term discharge in highly charged areas of space?
We find a very similar phenomenon to gamma ray bursts that resonates with
the idea of it being created by electrical discharges, either double layers or pinches
in what are called Intense gamma-ray flashes which occur in our atmosphere.
Not only is the emission energy band and morphology similar to gamma-ray bursts but
analysis seems to indicate that they are produced by upward explosive electrical discharges at high
altitudes. The complicated morphological patterns in GRBs, like the wide variety
of profile configurations: richly fluctuating or structurally smooth, rapid rise vs slower fall,
weak precursor and secondary pulses. These are all common in various electrical discharges.