With an experiment on the Chinese space station Tiangong, European researchers want to trace the origin of so-called gamma-ray bursts. “In recent years, two possible models have prevailed,” says astrophysicist Jochen Greiner of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching. “But we can only make the final decision between the two by polarizing the gamma rays of these flashes.”
The new “Polar 2” measuring instrument, in which MPE is involved, aims to record the direction of oscillation of the gamma-ray burst. The European research team wants to determine whether or not gamma radiation is polarized. So whether their waves are oscillating synchronously in one direction or mixed randomly.
China bears the costs
The device is being built at the University of Geneva and funded by the Swiss Space Agency (SSO). At the end of next year it will be sent into space and installed on the space station. “Polar-2” is one of about a dozen projects selected by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in 2019 for China’s next space station. China bears the costs of operating and launching missiles.
Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are the largest explosions in the universe. They are formed when a massive star explodes at the end of its life, or when two neutron stars merge. Although lightning was discovered more than 50 years ago, it is not clear exactly how it occurs. Researchers want to get closer to answering these questions with the “Polar-2” project.
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