Scientists have discovered a new fast radio emission coming to us from space – from a strange and unexpected place.
The explosion is only the second known example of its kind and has raised new questions about what exactly they are and how they can be used to understand the universe.
The newly discovered site sends frequent, repetitive bursts of energy, scientists say. It looks similar to the first fast radio broadcast or FRB, for which its location was found – but otherwise different from many discovered examples.
Fast radio bursts are very intense, very short bursts of energy that come to us from deep in space. They were first discovered in 2007, and scientists have since discovered dozens.
This huge catalog has brought researchers closer to trying to figure out where they come from, although their source remains a mystery. Researchers have suggested everything from black holes to alien technology, although probably the most likely explanation is a magnetar, which is a type of neutron star.
Recent research also suggests that there are different types of FRBs, and the newly discovered site further reinforces this argument. Researchers have questions about whether those who repeat their signals in this way can be fundamentally different from others.
The increased number of such bursts that have been discovered has also allowed scientists to use them as a way to explore other parts of space, as well as being interesting in their own right. They can be used to measure the contents of the intergalactic medium or the space between galaxies.
By observing the way explosions travel through space, scientists can better understand the still largely mysterious material that covers much of the universe, between their source and Earth.
However, scientists need to make assumptions about signals and their source in order to use them correctly. In general, for example, scientists believe that their host galaxies do not cause rapid radio bursts to disperse, which is expressed through the “dispersion measure”.
But the new fast-paced radio series doesn’t seem to fit that picture. Although it is somewhat similar to the first ever-recurring radio emission to be discovered, its galaxy has a much larger measure of variance.
Estimates suggest that the galaxy must be about 3 billion light-years from Earth. But it disperses as if it comes from a galaxy three times farther away.
“This means that there is a lot of material near the FRB that would confuse any attempt to use it to measure gas between galaxies,” said Krziti Agarwal, a student at the University of West Virginia. “If this is the case with others, then we cannot count on using the FRB as a space scale.”
This adds another mystery to the explosions, which after 15 years and numerous examples remain fascinating and unknown to the astronomers who study them.
More FRB research, such as new discoveries, could help solve part of this mystery, as well as answer questions posed by recent articles. Scientists hope to better understand how repetitive and non-repetitive FRBs are different, for example, and whether they can come from sources that are different ages or completely different things.
The findings are reported in the document “Repetitive high-speed radio broadcasting related to a permanent radio source”, published today in Nature.
The new FRB was given the number 20190520B, and its host galaxy is J160204.31−111718.5. It was discovered with the help of the Chinese five-hundred-meter aperture or FAST spherical radio telescope in 2019, and further work has been done since then to study it using a range of different equipment.
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