The short gamma-ray burst (GRB) that followed gravitational waves from the GW170817 neutron star merger was created in an astrophysical jet pointing 30° away from Earth, according to computer simulations by astrophysicists in the US and Italy.
Carried out by Davide Lazzati of Oregon State University and colleagues in the US and Italy, the simulations of the merger also offer an explanation for why the short GRB was much weaker than expected.
Typically lasting for less than 2 s, short GRBs and their origins have puzzled astronomers for decades. An important clue came in 2005 when X-rays and visible light were detected from the sources of two short bursts. This provided evidence that a short GRB can be created by the merger of two neutron stars to form a black hole.
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