{"product_id":"9781581122336","title":"Cosmic Explosions","description":"The diversity of stellar death is revealed in the energy, velocity and geometry of the explosion debris (\"ejecta''). Using multi-wavelength observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows I show that GRBs, arising from the death of massive stars, are marked by relativistic, collimated ejecta (\"jets'') with a wide range of opening angles. These results suggest that various cosmic explosions are powered by a common energy source, an \"engine'' (possibly an accreting stellar-mass black hole), with their diverse appearances determined solely by the variable high velocity output. On the other hand, using radio observations I show that local type Ibc core-collapse supernovae generally lack relativistic ejecta and are therefore not powered by engines. Instead, the highest velocity debris in these sources, typically with a velocity lower than 100,000 km\/sec, are produced in the (effectively) spherical ejection of the stellar envelope. The relative rates of engine- and collapse-powered explosions suggest that the former account for only a small fraction of the stellar death rate. Using the first radio and submillimeter observations of GRB hosts, I show that some are extreme starburst galaxies with the bursts directly associated with the regions of most intense star formation. I suggest, by comparison to other well-studied samples, that GRBs preferentially occur in sub-luminous, low mass galaxies, undergoing the early stages of a starburst process. If confirmed with future observations, this trend will place GRBs in the forefront of star formation and galaxy evolution studies.","brand":"Universal-Publishers.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47050304618736,"sku":"9781581122336","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781581122336_p0.jpg?v=1763799217","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781581122336","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}