Gamma-ray bursts—tracers of the history of star formation in the Universe

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 637-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. V. Tutukov
Author(s):  
Joshua S. Bloom

This chapter focuses on how gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are emerging as unique tools in the study of broad areas of astronomy and physics by virtue of their special properties. The unassailable fact about GRBs that makes them such great probes is that they are fantastically bright and so can be seen to the farthest reaches of the observable Universe. In parallel with the ongoing study of GRB events and progenitors, new lines of inquiry have burgeoned: using GRBs as unique probes of the Universe in ways that are almost completely divorced from the nature of GRBs themselves. Topics discussed include studies of gas, dust, and galaxies; the history of star formation; measuring reionization and the first objects in the universe; neutrinos, gravitational waves, and cosmic rays; quantum gravity and the expansion of the universe; and the future of GRBs.


Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 362 (6418) ◽  
pp. 1031-1034 ◽  
Author(s):  

The light emitted by all galaxies over the history of the Universe produces the extragalactic background light (EBL) at ultraviolet, optical, and infrared wavelengths. The EBL is a source of opacity for gamma rays via photon-photon interactions, leaving an imprint in the spectra of distant gamma-ray sources. We measured this attenuation using 739 active galaxies and one gamma-ray burst detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. This allowed us to reconstruct the evolution of the EBL and determine the star formation history of the Universe over 90% of cosmic time. Our star formation history is consistent with independent measurements from galaxy surveys, peaking at redshiftz~ 2. Upper limits of the EBL at the epoch of reionization suggest a turnover in the abundance of faint galaxies atz~ 6.


Author(s):  
Nial R Tanvir ◽  
Páll Jakobsson

The extreme luminosity of gamma-ray bursts and their afterglows means they are detectable, in principle, to very high redshifts. Although the redshift distribution of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is difficult to determine, due to incompleteness of present samples, we argue that for Swift-detected bursts, the median redshift is between 2.5 and 3, with a few per cent probably at z >6. Thus, GRBs are potentially powerful probes of the era of reionization and the sources responsible for it. Moreover, it seems probable that they can provide constraints on the star-formation history of the Universe and may also help in the determination of the cosmological parameters.


2020 ◽  
Vol 641 ◽  
pp. A174
Author(s):  
Orlando Luongo ◽  
Marco Muccino

Context. The dynamics of the Universe are revised using high-redshift data from gamma-ray bursts to constrain cosmographic parameters by means of model-independent techniques. Aims. Considering samples from four gamma-ray burst correlations and two hierarchies up to j0 and s0, respectively, we derived limits over the expansion history of the Universe. Since cosmic data span outside z ≃ 0, we investigated additional cosmographic methods such as auxiliary variables and Padé approximations Methods. Beziér polynomials were employed to calibrate our correlations and heal the circularity problem. Several Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations were performed on the model-independently calibrated Amati, Ghirlanda, Yonetoku, and combo correlations to obtain 1 − σ and 2 − σ confidence levels and to test the standard cosmological model. Results. Reasonable results are found up to j0 and s0 hierarchies, respectively, only partially alleviating the tension on local H0 measurements as j0 hierarchy is considered. Discussions on systematic errors have been extensively reported here. Conclusions. Our findings show that the ΛCDM model is not fully confirmed using gamma-ray bursts. Indications against a genuine cosmological constant are summarized and commented on in detail.


1998 ◽  
Vol 294 (1) ◽  
pp. L13-L17 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. M. J. Wijers ◽  
J. S. Bloom ◽  
J. S. Bagla ◽  
P. Natarajan

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