Research Press Release
Nature Communications
November 15, 2023
A paper reports that GRB 221009A, an extremely bright and long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB), may have caused large fluctuations in the electric field in the upper ionosphere around 500 kilometers above Earth.Nature CommunicationsPublished in The authors note that GRB 221009A may be one of the most powerful gamma-ray bursts ever detected in Earth’s atmosphere.
The ionization stability of the Earth’s atmosphere plays a crucial role in the evolution and survival of life, and is subject to the effects of high-energy gamma-ray bursts generated by explosive phenomena in space. High-energy gamma-ray bursts can cause ionospheric disturbances. This is due to abnormal ionization in the ionosphere caused by high-energy particles released by explosive events. Although the effects of gamma-ray bursts on the Earth’s lower ionosphere are known, observations to date have not detected any effects of gamma-ray bursts on the upper ionosphere. Previous studies have also shown that GRB 221009A causes ionospheric perturbations in the lower ionosphere, but not in the upper ionosphere.
In this study, Mirko Piersanti and colleagues analyzed ionospheric data obtained from satellites and observation points on the ground. They found evidence that on October 9, 2022, a long-duration intense ionospheric perturbation caused large fluctuations in the upper ionospheric electric field, both of which were correlated with GRB 221009A. GRB 221009A lasted about seven minutes, but could be detected for more than 10 hours after initial detection.
doi:10.1038/s41467-023-42551-5
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