4
$\begingroup$

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are extraordinarily luminous cosmic explosions. Given their immense brightness and potential for advance warning, could they be harnessed to illuminate and characterize distant Solar System objects, such as trans plutonian, or those in the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud?

Specifically, is it feasible to use the reflected GRB radiation to detect and study objects that are currently beyond the reach of our observational capabilities?

How would the GRB radiation interact with these objects—would it be reflected, absorbed and re-emitted at different frequencies, or scattered? Which of these interactions would be most detectable with current or future telescopes? What are the primary challenges associated with this approach, and has this idea been explored in previous research?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
5
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I don't see why allowing further answer posts (which is what closing prevents) would harm the site, so voting to leave open. $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Aug 6 at 10:51
  • $\begingroup$ @uhoh I have no way to know if the selected answer is correct. I just trust the author. Leaving it open would allow corrections. $\endgroup$
    – vakvakvak
    Commented Aug 6 at 13:18
  • $\begingroup$ We could try to find distant solar system objects by detecting the backscatter of radiation originating from our own sun. You know. Like light for example. $\endgroup$
    – Darth Pseudonym
    Commented Aug 6 at 16:13
  • $\begingroup$ @vakvakvak we don't close questions when they are answered in Stack Exchange. The question author is free to click "accept" on any answer or none of them. Closing is a special thing that is done when questions are problematic and people feel that answer posts should be blocked until the question is fixed (or forever). There was a close vote so I voted to leave it open. Everything is fine :-) $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Aug 7 at 3:23
  • $\begingroup$ @Darth Pseudonym I expected GRB to produce signals/frequencies not emitted by our sun $\endgroup$
    – vakvakvak
    Commented Aug 7 at 3:26

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
10
$\begingroup$

This doesn't work. GRB are extremely bright in terms of luminosity (their absolute brightness), but they are also extremely distant (thankfully) so their apparent brightness is low. Across the whole spectrum, they are about a bright as a normal star (Wikipedia), except their light is in the X- and Gamma-ray part of the spectrum. This means that they are no better at illuminating solar system objects than any other star (except the sun!)

Moreover, gamma rays are not reflected from the surface of solar system objects (nor even from regular mirrors or lenses, a fact that makes building a gamma ray telescope somewhat challenging). They are absorbed, and their energy is used up in a trail of ionisation. So there is no reflection from solar system bodies.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
4
  • $\begingroup$ Your argument includes even the most powerful GRB detected, which altered earth's atmosphere, and did blind our telescopes? $\endgroup$
    – vakvakvak
    Commented Aug 5 at 3:35
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ it "blinded" the very sensitive gamma ray detectors, But it was still a lot less bright than the sun. And gamma rays don't reflect well. Moreover GRB are very short and not predicable. $\endgroup$
    – James K
    Commented Aug 5 at 3:55
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Additional information from over on Physics.SE: Reflection of Gamma Rays. $\endgroup$
    – Andrew Morton
    Commented Aug 5 at 20:16
  • $\begingroup$ "gamma rays don't reflect well" is certainly true! High energy ones can induce phenomena that eventually re-radiate other lower energy photons and electrons some of which end up going backwards, but to my knowledge they don't really "backscatter". $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Aug 5 at 23:40

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .