GRB 070714B
Highly luminous gamma ray burst from a neutron star merger
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Through Gamma ray, Electromagnetic radiation and Light
At a total duration of only 3 seconds, GRB 070714B was classified as a short burst, a subclass of GRBs which is believed to be caused by the merger of two neutron stars. GRB 070714B had a redshift of z = 0.92, corresponding to a distance of about 7.4 billion light years, making it the most distant short burst detected as of 2007.
Observations
GRB 070714B was detected by the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission satellite on 14 July 2007 at 04:59 UTC. The burst lasted only 3 seconds and reached its peak intensity 0.2 seconds after the initial detection. The optical afterglow was detected by the Liverpool Telescope and the William Herschel Telescope.
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Distance record
Spectroscopy of the optical afterglow and the burst's host galaxy revealed a single emission line of oxygen at a redshift of z = 0.92. This corresponds to a distance of 7.4 billion light years, making it the oldest and most distant short burst ever detected. The previous record holder had been GRB 051221A at a redshift of z = 0.546. At a redshift of z = 0.92, the total energy released by GRB 070714B (assuming isotropic emission) was approximately 1.2×1051 ergs, which is several orders of magnitude higher than short-duration bursts with a redshift less than z = 0.5, but still significantly smaller than typical long-duration bursts.