CYCP1, LG/F, Chong Yuet Ming Chemistry Building, The University of Hong Kong
August 24, 2026 (Monday)
11:00 am – 12:00 Pm
GRB 220101A is a long GRB, with a total energy exceeding 10^54 erg with a redshift z = 4.61 and one of the largest ever high-quality multi-wavelength observational coverage, from a large number of space-based and ground-based telescopes. We interpret this source in a doubly Binary driven peta nova (BdP-N) model. The progenitor is composed of a massive CO core of ~ 10 M_sun, highly magnetized with B ~ 10^6 G, associated to a neutron star (NS) and a white dwarf (WD) with orbital periods from minutes to hours. The large GRB luminosity is explained by a sequence of 7 episodes: episode 1 is triggered by a new kind of pair supernova (HB) which originates from the collapse of the strongly magnetized CO core. Accretion of the HB supernova ejecta (the ejecta) onto the white dwarf companion triggers after 3.5 sec the episode 2: the second supernova emitting neutrinos and creating a new neutron star (nuNS). The ejecta, interacting with the magnetosphere of the binary NS companion originate the episode 3: the Ultra relativistic Prompt Emission (UPE) emission by far the most energetic episode of this GRB, with the formation of a powerful jet normal to the plane of the GRB. Following the UPE energy loss, the accretion of the ejecta on the NS companion leads to the episode 4: the formation of a black hole (BH) of 2.3 M_sun leading to the observed GeV afterglow emission. Further accretion of the ejecta spin up the nuNS to a period of 1.3 ms which gives origin to the episode 5: the birth of a pulsar. The interaction of this milli-second pulsar with the remnants lead to the Episode 6: the synchrotron emission observed in the X-ray, optical and radio, The episode 7 is a 56.7 ms pulsar, as observed 10^10 s after the first burst in the crab nebula.
Prof. Remo Ruffini is a distinguished astrophysicist and a foundational figure in relativistic astrophysics. He currently serves as the Director of the International Centre for Relativistic Astrophysics Network (ICRANet) and is a co-founder of the International Centre for Relativistic Astrophysics (ICRA). From 1978 to 2012, he was a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Rome “Sapienza,” and he has previously held research and academic roles at the Mainz Academy of Sciences, Princeton University, and NASA.
Prof. Ruffini has made landmark contributions to our understanding of the universe. Notably, his classic 1971 article with John Wheeler introduced and popularized the astrophysical concept of the “black hole.” His theoretical models subsequently established the absolute upper mass limit for neutron stars and led to the identification of the first black holes in the Milky Way Galaxy. Also recognized for co-founding the Marcel Grossmann Meetings and initiating the International Relativistic Astrophysics PhD (IRAP) program, Prof. Ruffini has authored over 20 books and received numerous accolades, including the A. Cressy Morrison Award from the New York Academy of Sciences.
Anyone interested is welcome to attend in person or via Zoom:
https://hku.zoom.us/j/96472971072?pwd=uoTCtn45823IaLEyIkyrQvvZPjyt0C.1
Meeting ID: 964 7297 1072 Password: 410133