PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Birth of black hole kills the radio star

Research clears telescope, disproves long-held theory

2013-12-20
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Megan Meates
megan.meates@curtin.edu.au
61-892-644-4241
Curtin University
Birth of black hole kills the radio star Research clears telescope, disproves long-held theory Astronomers led by a Curtin University researcher have discovered a new population of exploding stars that "switch off" their radio transmissions before collapsing into a Black Hole.

These exploding stars use all of their energy to emit one last strong beam of highly energetic radiation – known as a gamma-ray burst – before they die.

Up until now, it was thought all gamma-ray bursts were followed by a radio afterglow – a premise that a team of Australian astronomers of the Centre for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) at Curtin University and the University of Sydney originally set out to prove correct.

"But we were wrong. After studying an ultra-sensitive image of gamma-ray bursts with no afterglow, we can now say the theory was incorrect and our telescopes have not failed us," lead researcher and Curtin research fellow Dr Paul Hancock said.

The technique used to create the ultra-sensitive image was recently published in The Astrophysical Journal.

It allowed for the stacking of 200 separate observations on top of each other to re-create the image of a gamma-ray burst in much better quality – yet, no trace of a radio afterglow was found.

"In our research paper we argue that there must be two distinct types of gamma-ray burst, likely linked to differences in the magnetic field of the exploding star," Dr Hancock said.

"Gamma-ray bursts are thought to mark the birth of a Black Hole or Neutron Star – both of which have super-dense cores. But Neutron Stars have such strong magnetic fields (a million times stronger than those of Black Holes) that producing gamma-rays are more difficult.

"We think that those stars that collapse to form a Neutron Star have energy left over to produce the radio afterglow whereas those that become Black Holes put all their energy into one final powerful gamma-ray flash."

New work is underway to test the team's theory and to see if there are other subtle ways in which the two types of bursts differ.

"We now have to take a whole new look at gamma-ray bursts – so far this work has shown that being wrong is sometimes more interesting than being right," Dr Hancock said.

Telescope facilities such as the Australia Telescope Compact Array in northern New South Wales and the Karl Jansky Very Large Array in the US both have observing programs to search for gamma-ray burst afterglows and have been recently upgraded to increase their sensitivity.

### The research report can be found at http://arxiv.org/abs/1308.4766


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

An earthquake or a snow avalanche has its own shape

2013-12-20
An earthquake or a snow avalanche has its own shape However, it is crucial what one observes – paper fracture or the avalanching of snow. The results were just published in the Nature Communications journal. Avalanches of snow or earthquakes can be described in other ...

Smooth or grainy?

2013-12-20
Smooth or grainy? A SISSA paper reviews research on the grain of space-time Smooth" or grainy? Is space-time continuous or is it made up of very fine (10-35 metres on the "Planck scale") but discrete grains, if we look at it very ...

IRB develops ChroGPS, a new generation visual browser of the epigenome

2013-12-20
IRB develops ChroGPS, a new generation visual browser of the epigenome This is a software application that provides easily interpretable maps from which to analyse and understand the immense volume of epigenetic and genetic ...

Birth control at the zoo

2013-12-20
Birth control at the zoo Vets meet the elusive goal of hippo castration Common hippopotami (Hippopotamus amphibius) are vulnerable to extinction in the wild, but reproduce extremely well under captive breeding conditions. Females ...

Breaking down cancer's defense mechanisms

2013-12-20
Breaking down cancer's defense mechanisms A possible new method for treating pancreatic cancer which enables the body's immune system to attack and kill cancer cells has been developed by researchers. The method uses a drug which breaks down the ...

A gluttonous plant reveals how its cellular power plant devours foreign DNA

2013-12-20
A gluttonous plant reveals how its cellular power plant devours foreign DNA Amborella trichopoda, a sprawling shrub that grows on just a single island in the remote South Pacific, is the only plant in its family and genus. It is also one of the oldest flowering ...

Charge order competes with superconductivity

2013-12-20
Charge order competes with superconductivity Today in Science express: Charge carriers in cuprate high-Tc superconductors form nanostripes that suppress superconductivity, as shown by guest researchers from Princeton ...

Elucidating biological cells' transport mechanisms

2013-12-20
Elucidating biological cells' transport mechanisms A new study focuses on the motion of motor proteins in living cells, applying a physicist's tool called non-equilibrium statistical mechanics Motion fascinates physicists. It becomes even more intriguing when ...

How the cells remove copper

2013-12-20
How the cells remove copper We are fundamentally dependent on the presence of copper in the cells of the body. Copper is actually part of the body's energy conversion and protective mechanisms against oxygen radicals, as well as part of the immune system, and it also has great ...

New research provides insight into epilepsy

2013-12-20
New research provides insight into epilepsy Jørgen Kjems and Morten Trillingsgaard Venø, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), contribute to an article on microRNA-128 just published in Science. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Cognitive decline comes sooner for people with heart failure

SMEs’ ability to innovate is strongly tied to the learning and decision-making skills of managers

Researchers recycle wind turbine blade materials to make improved plastics

Low neighborhood walkability is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Common phrases, not fancy words, make you sound more fluent in a foreign language

Printed skin to replace animal testing

Precision medicine could be possible in the fight against antibiotic resistance

Researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University identify new targeted approach to protect neurons against degeneration

Western diet causes inflammation, traditional African food protects

Electrochemical method supports nitrogen circular economy

How researchers are shining a light on kidney disease

Some gut bacteria could make certain drugs less effective

PEPITEM sequence shows effects in psoriasis, comparable to steroid cream

Older teens who start vaping post-high school risk rapid progress to frequent use

Corpse flowers are threatened by spotty recordkeeping

Riding the AI wave toward rapid, precise ocean simulations

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

[Press-News.org] Birth of black hole kills the radio star
Research clears telescope, disproves long-held theory