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Oskar Klein Centre

New observations shed light on most powerful explosions in the Universe

Gamma-ray bursts arise from the most powerful explosions in the known Universe, and are linked to the birth of a black hole. New observations reveal that they are even more powerful than expected, and emit radiation at higher energies than previously known. The detections, made by two different ground-based telescopes, provide new insights into the mechanisms driving gamma-ray bursts.

First detection of TeV emission from a gamma-ray burst

Close-up of the upper arc segment, containing six (complete or partial) images of the galaxy.

Astronomers find galaxy revealing its innermost secrets – in 12 copies

An international group of astronomers, led by Thøger Emil Rivera-Thorsen from the Oskar Klein Centre, have found a distant galaxy which has a rarely seen hole in its interstellar gas, allowing a direct view to the hot, massive stars at its very center. Luckily this galaxy is lensed by a foreground galaxy cluster and the resulting 12 images of the original galaxy can be studied in great detail.

See the Sunburst Arc

A spiral created by two neutron stars that are swirling closer and closer to each other.

OKC researchers will use Wallenberg grant to study light from merging neutron stars

The era of multi-messenger astrophysics has just begun and recently a merging neutron star system has been detected in gravitational waves and subsequently electromagnetically. This grant supports a concentrated research effort across groups at the OKC to study future neutron star merger events from their detection, through simulations and modeling and extending to their electromagnetic follow-up and the use of these events to measure the expansion rate of our Universe.

Focus on kilonovae