A neutron star collision is captured for the first time in millimeter light

The first time that millimeter-wavelength light has been captured by researchers is from a collision between a neutron star and another star, which originated from a collision between the two. 

Astrophysicists from Northwestern University, in the US, along with their colleagues from Radboud University in the Netherlands, have claimed that the flash that emerged from this collision was among the most energetic short-duration gamma-ray bursts ever observed. 

An explosion known as a GRB, which is considered to be the largest explosion in the history of the universe, can release more energy in a few seconds than the Sun does throughout its lifetime.

A star can collide with another or a black hole can form when two bodies collide. Six similar gamma-ray bursts have been observed before, but all were recorded at a longer wavelength.

This GRB was detected at millimeter wavelength with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, a telescope operated by NRAO of the National Science Foundation.

We observed the short gamma-ray burst for the first time using ALMA to try and observe such an event,” said Northwestern's Wen-fai Fong, who is the principal investigator for ALMA's program.

The ALMA radio telescope array, which consists of 66 radio telescopes from around the world, is located in Chile's high-altitude Atacama Desert, which is one of the world's biggest.

'A quick burst does not typically leave an afterglow, so finding this one shining so brightly was spectacular. This surprising discovery opens up a new avenue for study after years of observing these bursts,' Fond said.

With millimeter wavelengths combined with X-rays, one can gain a better understanding of the explosion's true energy. Since millimeter wavelengths can be detected for longer than X-rays, they can also be used to measure the width of GRB jets.

As a result of the millimeter and radio detection of GRB 211106A, researchers hope to measure the jet's opening angle. By collecting data from it, we could learn more about the effects of extreme events on the environment.