A kinematic explanation for gamma-ray bursts

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• Robert MacKay (Warwick)
• Wednesday 29 October 2014, 16:00-17:00
• Lecture room A, Watson building.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Alexandra Tzella.

Mathematics Colloquium

Gamma-ray bursts are flashes of light observed from all directions in space, lasting from milliseconds to a few minutes, which start as gamma rays then soften progressively to X-rays and ultimately to radio waves. They have been attributed to cataclysmic events. Colin Rourke and I propose, however, that many of them may be optical illusions, simply the result of our entry into the region illuminated by a continuously emitting object. At such an entry, the emitter appears infinitely blue-shifted and infinitely bright. We demonstrate the phenomenon in de Sitter space, where much can be calculated explicitly, and then extend the idea to more general space-times.

This talk is part of the Mathematics Colloquium series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Applied Mathematics Seminar Series
• Lecture room A, Watson building
• School of Mathematics Events

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