Events in Physics
Prof. Nial Tanvir, University of Leicester
The universe at 630 million years after the Big Bang:
What we can learn from GRB 090423
Gamma-ray bursts, by virtue of their extreme luminosities, provide powerful probes of the distant universe. They pinpoint their star-forming host galaxies and allow measurements of the state of the interstellar- and intergalactic-medium along the line of sight. I will discuss what we are learning from such studies, focusing in particular on GRB 090423 which, at redshift z=8.2, is the most distant object known in the universe.
What we can learn from GRB 090423
Gamma-ray bursts, by virtue of their extreme luminosities, provide powerful probes of the distant universe. They pinpoint their star-forming host galaxies and allow measurements of the state of the interstellar- and intergalactic-medium along the line of sight. I will discuss what we are learning from such studies, focusing in particular on GRB 090423 which, at redshift z=8.2, is the most distant object known in the universe.