Researchers using a telescope owned and operated by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, have detected a ‘fast radio burst’ in a nearby galaxy that questions what we know about how these mysterious phenomena form.
Fast radio bursts were discovered in 2007 using CSIRO’s Parkes radio telescope, Murriyang. The intense, momentary flashes of energy release as much energy in a few milliseconds as our Sun in 80 years.
New results published today in The Astrophysical Journal indicate this newly found fast radio burst is in a much calmer galactic environment than other known fast radio bursts.
Marcin Glowacki from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) led the latest research using CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope on Wajarri Yamaji Country in Western Australia.
Dr Glowacki said while previous studies suggest colliding galaxies could create massive stars that cause fast radio bursts, this paper’s findings challenge that idea.
“Of the radio bursts where we’ve been able to study their homes in detail, we’ve seen colliding and merging galaxies. In this research, we aren’t seeing those same clear signals of a turbulent galaxy,” Dr Glowacki said.
“What we’ve seen in this new study is that the host galaxy itself appears undisturbed, quiet even. This suggests that either a massive star that caused the fast radio burst was born another way, or the fast radio burst was created by something else entirely.”
Co-author Dr Karen Lee-Waddell, Director of the Australian SKA Regional Centre, said astronomers have so far identified the ‘host’ galaxy for only a few bursts and this new discovery highlights the importance of identifying many more.
“Research like this is necessary for studying the environments around fast radio bursts, as galaxies are made up of more than just stars.
“We are keen to study fast radio bursts and their host galaxies in great detail, not just to solve an intergalactic mystery but because bursts can tell us more about the structure and evolution of galaxy clusters,” she said.
Two teams of researchers are using ASKAP’s unique capabilities to investigate fast radio bursts and their host galaxies.
Key to this ongoing research is the telescope’s unique ability to study the gas distribution in galaxies, including hunting for the signatures which could help astronomers better understand fast radio bursts.
Dr George Heald, Science Program Director for CSIRO’s Australia Telescope National Facility, said ASKAP’s greatest strength is its ability to quickly survey a large area of sky.
“Each of ASKAP’s 36 dish antennas is equipped with a specialised receiver that radio astronomers can steer to efficiently map the sky.
“This helps researchers produce some of the best radio astronomy data in the world, to better understand the Universe.”
Text credit – CSIRO, 25 May, 2023.
