GRB 221009A was an unprecedented, once-in-10,000-years cosmological blast. Emitting an isotropic-equivalent energy E_iso exceeding 10^55 ergs, the burst completely saturated space-based detectors, perturbed Earth's ionosphere at 500 km altitude, and generated the highest-energy photon ever observed from a GRB: a staggering 18 TeV photon detected by LHAASO in China.
| Observatory / Instrument | Spectral Regime | Observational Detection & Counterpart Findings |
|---|---|---|
|
JWST (NIRSpec / MIRI)
|
Infrared (1–25 µm)
|
Spectroscopically confirmed associated Type Ic core-collapse supernova SN 2022xiw at day 168.
|
|
LHAASO Water Cherenkov
|
Very High Energy (0.2–18 TeV)
|
Recorded ~5000 high-energy photons; observed early afterglow rise and jet break.
|
|
ALMA
|
Millimeter (100 GHz)
|
High-precision reverse-shock millimeter synchrotron detection.
|