What’s the link between gamma ray bursts and supernovae? It might be binary stars

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are some of the most violent events in the universe. Some have a power output equivalent to all of the other stars in the observable universe, at least in the spectrum of gamma rays. But we know very little about them. A new paper published in The Astrophysical Journal from researchers on an interdisciplinary team from seven countries puts forth a new theory about how at least one type of GRB happens—when a binary of two specific types of stars collapses and forms a black hole.