A NASA telescope spotted a strange phenomenon while examining the largest cosmic explosion since the formation of the universe

The Fermi Space Gamma-Ray Telescope has detected an unusual feature in a gamma-ray burst, which may be the result of matter and antimatter annihilation.

NASA's Fermi Space Gamma-Ray Telescope has explored what could be the most powerful explosion since the Big BangThe Big Bang is a theory describing the origin and development of the universe., revealing a phenomenon not seen until now. This event has been dubbed "the brightest of all time," abbreviated as BOAT (Brightest Of All Time).

The gamma-ray burst (GRB) was recorded on October 9, 2022, by the Fermi and Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory telescopes. Scientists suspect that the source of BOAT was a supernovaA supernova is a star that explodes, suddenly and drastically increasing its brightness., which exploded nearly 2.4 billion light-years away from us.

Gamma-ray bursts occur when massive stars run out of fuel for nuclear fusion. Their cores collapse, forming black holes that emit powerful jets of material moving almost at the speed of light.

BOAT was so intense that it saturated most of the gamma detectors in orbit. Statistical data suggest that an event of such magnitude occurs once every 10,000 years. Despite the vast distance, the burst affected the Earth's atmosphere.

Approximately five minutes after BOAT was detected, the Fermi telescope identified an unusual feature in its spectrum—a "possible emission line." This spectral signature lasted about 40 seconds and peaked at an energy of 12 million electronvolts. For comparison, visible light has an energy of nearly 2-3 electronvolts.

Researchers have hypothesized regarding the cause of this phenomenon. Maria Edwige Ravazzio from Radboud University explains:

“When I first saw this signal, I got goosebumps. Our analysis shows that this is the first highly reliable emission line observed in 50 years of studying gamma-ray bursts.”

Scientists suggest that the spectral feature may result from the annihilation of electrons and their antimatter counterparts—positrons. Typically, during such annihilation, energy released is about half a million electronvolts. However, in the case of BOAT, the recorded energy reached 12 million electronvolts. This is attributed to the jets of particles moving almost at the speed of light toward Earth. Consequently, this led to a "blue shift" effect—the compression of waves, resulting in a significant increase in the radiation energy level.

The research team’s findings were published in the journal Science.

Source: Space, Livescience