HomeScience and ResearchSpaceAstronomers Detect First Repeating Fast Radio Burst's Strange Brother

Astronomers Detect First Repeating Fast Radio Burst’s Strange Brother

Published on

Astronomers are still fascinated by the enigma of fast radio bursts (FRBs). Nobody knows what’s causing these super-short, super-intense radio wave bursts from outer space.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are the sharpest radio transients in the Universe. Intrinsic features are a mystery. Even the most basic, descriptive questions remain unresolved, such as “Do all FRBs repeat?”

Less than 5 percent of the hundreds of FRBs have been seen to repeat so far. Only a few remain active over long periods of time, allowing valuable glimpses into their lives.

Now, an international team led by Dr. LI Di of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ National Astronomical Observatories (NAOC) has detected and pinpointed an active repeating fast radio burst, FRB 190520B, in a metal-poor dwarf galaxy at a redshift of z=0.241.

The electron density of FRB 190520B’s host galaxy is greater than that of the host galaxies of all other FRB sources

The Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey (CRAFTS), led by Dr. LI Di and one of five legacy programs of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) observatory, identified this new and odd repeater.

The findings of the study were presented in Nature today.

By analyzing the CRAFTS’s May 20, 2019 scan, Dr. NIU Chenhui of NAOC discovered the first clues. Dr. Casey Law of Caltech performed the sub-arcsecond localization study, while Dr. YU Wenfei of Shanghai Observatory conducted the identification of an associated persistent radio emission based on JVLA observations in July 2020. (PRS). Dr. TSAI Chaowei spearheaded the galaxy identification operations shortly after, principally using the Palomar 200-inch and Keck telescopes.

The unique things about FRB 190520B are: It has the highest ambient electron density of all FRBs, with the host galaxy accounting for 80 percent of its dispersion measure (DM). In addition to being the only FRB known so far to be constantly active, it is confirmed to be associated with a compact PRS, making it only a second repeater FRB after the discovery of the first repeater FRB 121102A; this makes it only the second repeater FRB to be identified after the discovery of the first repeater FRB

Further examination of the scattering characteristics reveals that electrons near the FRB source are responsible for the majority of the local DM. This is also compatible with the fact that if the PRS came from across the galaxy, its brightness would need 20 times the host galaxy’s star creation rate. FRB190520B appears to be located in a complicated plasma environment that resembles that of a superluminous supernova, implying that the FRB is a “newborn.” This finding suggests that FRBs have evolved through time.

FRB 121102A is the first repeating FRB to be detected and localized. It was also the only FRB coupled with a tiny PRS hitherto. FRB 190520B behaves similarly to FRB 121102A in terms of being exceedingly active and existing in a complicated electromagnetic environment; it is just more extreme in these features.

More in-depth studies and modeling for this source have been published after the initial publishing of this discovery, including polarization analysis, scattering timescale models, and supernova origin scenarios, among other things.

“We further postulate that FRB 121102A and FRB 190520B represent the initial stage of an evolving FRB population. A coherent picture of the origin and evolution of FRBs is likely to emerge in just a few years,” Dr. LI expressed his thoughts.

Image Credit: Niu et al. 2022

You were reading: Astronomers Detect First Repeating Fast Radio Burst’s Strange Brother

Latest articles

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...

Science Shock: Salmon’s Food Choices Better at Reducing Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

Salmon: Rich in Health Benefits, Yet May Offer Less Nutritional Value - This is...

More like this

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...