Reviewed by: Amelia Pilgrim
UAH student leads groundbreaking gamma-ray discovery
Reading time: 3 minutes
University of Alabama in Huntsville student researcher Sarah Dalessi led a team responsible for the discovery of the fastest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever recorded.
Dalessi, a graduate student in the UAH College of Science, was the lead author of a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal detailing the discovery.
What to know about this gamma-ray burst
This particular GRB), GRB 230307A, is a gamma-ray burst in the ultrarelativistic category, meaning the velocity of the GRB’s jet (a focused beam of high-energy particles and photons,) came within 99.99998 percent of the speed of light.
At 186,000 miles per second, that makes it the fastest GRB ever observed.
The observation was made possible with data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor, one of two instruments on NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
Dalessi began working with the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) team in 2021.
The group is a collaborative effort between NASA and the National Space Science and Technology Center at UAH, which acts as the operations center, and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany.
Dalessi’s team also recently discovered the brightest GRB ever observed.
“Part of my responsibilities on the team is to be what is called a ‘Burst Advocate’. Which means I have a number of shifts per month where I am responsible for processing and classifying incoming triggers from the satellite.
It was during one of my shifts when I got the trigger notification for GRB 230307A, and right away, I knew that this was an extraordinarily bright event, perhaps the second or third brightest GRB ever. To be a part of such a unique discovery is not something I ever planned or dreamed of.”
Sarah Dalessi
Dalessi says one of the highlights of her experience as part of the GBM team has been working alongside NASA scientists at Marshall Space Flight Center, also in Huntsville.
“Working with Dr. Michelle Hui has been the absolute best part of my graduate school experience. I am forever grateful to the GBM team for putting their faith in me and letting me take the lead on such a project.
To have such a wealth of knowledge freely available any time I had questions or needed guidance has been such a gift.”
Sarah Dalessi
Looking to the future of gamma-ray burst research, the Dalessi says there are many potential avenues to explore.
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