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Title: First Detection of the Powerful Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 221009A by the THEMIS ESA and SST Particle Detectors on 2022 October 9
Abstract

We present the first results study of the effects of the powerful gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A that occurred on 2022 October 9, and was serendipitously recorded by electron and proton detectors on board the four spacecraft of the NASA THEMIS mission. Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are powerful cosmic explosions, signaling the death of massive stars, and, among them, GRB 221009A is so far the brightest burst ever observed due to its enormous energy (Eγiso≈ 1055erg) and proximity (the redshift is z ≈ 0.1505). The THEMIS mission launched in 2008 was designed to study the plasma processes in the Earth’s magnetosphere and the solar wind. The particle flux measurements from the two inner magnetosphere THEMIS probes, THA and THE, and two outer probes (renamed ARTEMIS after 2010), THB and THC, orbiting the Moon captured the dynamics of GRB 221009A with a high time resolution of 4 (up to 8) measurements per second. This allowed us to resolve the fine structure of the GRB and determine the temporal scales of the two main bursts’ spiky structure, complementing the results from gamma-ray space telescopes and detectors.

 
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NSF-PAR ID:
10413027
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
DOI PREFIX: 10.3847
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Volume:
948
Issue:
2
ISSN:
2041-8205
Page Range / eLocation ID:
Article No. L21
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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