Gigaelectronvolt emission from a compact binary merger.

An energetic γ-ray burst (GRB), GRB 211211A, was observed on 11 December 2021. Despite its long duration, typically associated with bursts produced by the collapse of massive stars, the observation of an optical-infrared kilonova points to a compact binary merger origin. Here we report observations of a significant (more than five sigma) transient-like emission in the high-energy γ-rays of GRB 211211A (more than 0.

Spectral index-flux relation for investigating the origins of steep decay in γ-ray bursts.

γ-ray bursts (GRBs) are short-lived transients releasing a large amount of energy (10 - 10 erg) in the keV-MeV energy range. GRBs are thought to originate from internal dissipation of the energy carried by ultra-relativistic jets launched by the remnant of a massive star's death or a compact binary coalescence. While thousands of GRBs have been observed over the last thirty years, we still have an incomplete understanding of where and how the radiation is generated in the jet.