Re: Gamma burst question


"Craig Markwardt" <craigmnet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:m21wdva59y.fsf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ernie Sty" <fake_email@xxxxxxxxx> writes:

I recently watched a show about gamma bursts, but I missed some parts of
it.

My question is about the largest and farthest gamma bursts.

I believe that it was said that by calculating the amount of energy
received
by the earth-based instruments and the distance of the bursts, then if
the
burst was a regular omnidirectional explosion, the amount of energy it
would
take to create such a burst would be greater than the amount
of energy you would get if you took all the matter thought to exist in
the
universe and converted it all to energy at once.

Is that correct?

Probably not. Typical energy outputs for gamma-ray bursts are about
10^{53} to 10^{54} ergs, if isotropic ("omnidirectional"). This is
about the rest mass energy of one solar mass. Of course there are a
wide range of gamma-ray burst properties, so the answer is not going
to be a single number, but it's definitely not the amount of rest mass
energy in the whole universe!

I think it is probably true that for the brief moment while they are
bursting, gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous emitters in the
universe. Maybe that is what you remember.

They said that the burst released more energy than you would get if you
converted all the matter thought to exist in the universe to energy at once.
It seemed clear what they were saying at the time, and I remember it because
it made my jaw drop.
However, this was a TV science program, it was probably bad reporting or
deliberately misleading so as to be hyped up for dramatic effect. I'm more
inclined to believe you than the TV show.
Thank you for the reply.


.

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