|Apr24-12, 05:34 PM||#1| Gamma Ray Bursts I've been reading
about gamma ray bursts (GRBs) lately and have found them to be
pretty interesting. As far as I have read, it appears that we
still don't know much about what actually causes them, or
rather, how the "internal engine" works. The most popular idea
for longer lasting GRBs is a very massive star, 30 solar masses
I think, going supernova, right? Is there a lot of interest in
GRBs today? Is it a good field of study to look into? |Apr24-12,
06:16 PM||#2| GRBs are a very active field in astrophysics
today. There appear to be two types - long GRBs (which last
longer than ~ 1 second) and short GRBs (typically shorter than 1
seond). The long GRBs are pretty firmly established to be caused
by supernova collapse of massive stars, as you said. In a few
cases an optical supernova (of Type Ic if you're familiar with
the nomenclature) has been seen that correspond to the long GRB.
The best model for the short GRBs is that the represent the
merger of two neutron stars