Magnetic Fingerprint of Cosmic Blast Detected Anew
Astronomers have successfully detected polarized radio-wavelength emissions and Faraday rotation from a gamma-ray burst for the first time. This discovery allows scientists to map the magnetic fields surrounding the universe's most powerful explosions.
Why it matters
Measuring magnetic fields in extreme environments helps physicists refine theories regarding the fundamental forces of the universe.
Edited from a release by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
Astronomers have made a series of landmark observations of one of the universe's most violent events.
Using the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA) radio telescope, operated by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO), the team achieved two firsts: the first detection of polarized radio-wavelength emission from a gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow and the first detection of Faraday rotation in a GRB.
Faraday rotation occurs when magnetic fields twist the orientation of polarized light as it travels through space. The effect acts like a magnetic fingerprint, encoding information about the strength and structure of the fields the light passed through. The findings, led by researchers at the University of Arizona and the University of Utah, offer a new window into the extreme physics driving these titanic explosions.
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