Scientists have found new clues to the origin of FRBs!

 

Since 2019, FAST has discovered an active repeating fast radio burst, FRB 190520B. It is not only the 1st repeating FRB discovered by FAST, but also the only FRB, out of all ~500 FRBs known, that hasn’t stopped bursting under observation. According to the research, it is localized at a metal-poor dwarf galaxy roughly 3 billion light years away.

 

It's worth noting that the research is based on the work of an international team led by Dr. LI Di from the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), using astronomical telescopes of different types and around the globe like VLA and Palomar.

 

Before the discovery of FRB 190520B, FRB 121102A, the first repeating FRB ever discovered and the first to be localized, used to be the only FRB associated with a compact PRS (Persistent Radio Source). Being extremely active and residing in a complex electromagnetic environment, FRB 190520B’s behavior is similar to FRB 121102A; it is just more extreme in these aspects.

 

It is the new discovery that brings us closer to a coherent picture of the origin and evolution of FRBs. 

 

Learn more: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04755-5

#universe #astronomy