Our universe is filled with numerous mysteries that continue to baffle scientists and researchers alike. With advances in technology, we have been able to observe and study these mysteries in great detail, but for every mystery solved, a new one arises. In this blog post, we will be discussing one such mystery that was only discovered about five years ago: Fast Blue Optical Transients, more commonly known as avbots, and even more commonly known as the cow events.
What are Fast Blue Optical Transients?
Fast Blue Optical Transients or FOBTS are sudden explosions that occur in space, which possess several unusual properties. They are different from regular supernovas as they increase in luminosity much faster than anything else before. They contain a large amount of iron and are unusually bright in the ultraviolet wavelengths. They are much brighter than normal supernovas in every single frequency, including x-rays, radio light, and optical light. They also last longer, with certain emissions still being observable a year after the event.
The Cow Event
The first such transient was discovered back in 2018, by an automated facility that accidentally picked up on the event. This event was so unusual that it was dubbed the “cow event,” as the letters COW were the first letters of the random letter assignment given to it. The cow event exploded so fast that it produced an enormous amount of ultraviolet and optical light, making it brighter than a normal supernova.
Since the discovery of the cow event, scientists have officially identified five more events, with several others waiting for confirmation. Some of these events have their own nicknames, such as the Kamal event, which detected an unusual amount of mass being emitted at half the speed of light. The Koal event was found to have temperatures over 40,000 Kelvin, making it extremely hot, while the 1820 MRF event was extremely bright in x-rays.
The Mystery of Fast Blue Optical Transients
The properties of FOBTS are so unusual that they pose a great mystery to scientists. The explosions are much more powerful than regular supernovas, and the emissions last much longer. Some explanations suggest that FOBTS involve a massive explosion inside a hydrogen cocoon, where the gas gets illuminated by the emissions from the supernova, creating a super bright formation. However, this explanation does not account for all of the unusual properties of FOBTS.
Another explanation suggests that there was a black hole or a neutron star in orbit around the object that was about to go supernova. In this case, the explosion was a result of some kind of a dramatic tidal disruption event, where the star passes too close to the black hole or neutron star and explodes as a result. This explanation would account for the presence of a huge cocoon around the object and the unusual emissions that last for at least a year.
However, the presence of so many x-rays detected after the event suggests that some kind of central engine, such as a black hole or magnetar, is required to explain the emissions. This leads to further questions and theories as to what could be causing FOBTS and the unusual properties that they possess.
Conclusion
Fast Blue Optical Transients or FOBTS are one of the many mysteries that the universe poses to us. Their unusual properties and power continue to baffle scientists and researchers alike. While there are some explanations that make sense, they still do not explain everything that we have observed. The mystery of FOBTS is ongoing, and we can only hope that with continued research and advances in technology, we will one day be able to unravel the mystery of these unexplainable cow events.