China’s Tianguan Satellite First Detects Cosmic Eruption 12.5 Billion Years Ago

摘要：Recently, China’s Tianguan satellite (Einstein Probe Satellite) detected a gamma-ray burst EP240315a. It's the first time to detec

Recently, China’s Tianguan satellite (Einstein Probe Satellite) detected a gamma-ray burst EP240315a. It's the first time to detect the soft X-ray signal of an early-universe eruption, opening a new window for early-universe research. The related research paper was published online in the international academic journal Nature Astronomyon January 23.

Launched on January 9, 2024, the satellite, a joint effort of multiple institutions, has two telescopes. On March 15, the Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT) caught the faint pulse signal of EP240315a, which occurred when the universe was only 10% of its current age and its signal took 12.5 billion years to reach Earth. This discovery marks the first detection of soft X-ray signals from early-universe eruptions. The team also found that this gamma-ray burst is special as the X-ray appeared over six minutes earlier than the gamma-ray.

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