Journal article
A fast radio burst source at a complex magnetized site in a barred galaxy
Nature (London), Vol.609(7928), pp.685-688
09/22/2022
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05071-8
PMID: 36131036
Abstract
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are highly dispersed, millisecond-duration radio bursts(1-3). Recent observations of a Galactic FRB4-8 suggest that at least some FRBs originate from magnetars, but the origin of cosmological FRBs is still not settled. Here we report the detection of 1,863 bursts in 82 h over 54 days from the repeating source FRB 20201124A (ref. (9)). These observations show irregular short-time variation of the Faraday rotation measure (RM), which scrutinizes the density-weighted line-of-sight magnetic field strength, of individual bursts during the first 36 days, followed by a constant RM. We detected circular polarization in more than half of the burst sample, including one burst reaching a high fractional circular polarization of 75%. Oscillations in fractional linear and circular polarizations, as well as polarization angle as a function of wavelength, were detected. All of these features provide evidence for a complicated, dynamically evolving, magnetized immediate environment within about an astronomical unit (au; Earth-Sun distance) of the source. Our optical observations of its Milky-Way-sized, metal-rich host galaxy(10-12) show a barred spiral, with the FRB source residing in a low-stellar-density interarm region at an intermediate galactocentric distance. This environment is inconsistent with a young magnetar engine formed during an extreme explosion of a massive star that resulted in a long gamma-ray burst or superluminous supernova.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A fast radio burst source at a complex magnetized site in a barred galaxy
- Creators
- H. Xu - Kavli Institute for Theoretical SciencesJ. R. Niu - National Astronomical ObservatoriesP. Chen - Peking Univ, Kavli Inst Astron & Astrophys, Beijing, Peoples R ChinaK. J. Lee - Kavli Institute for Theoretical SciencesW. W. Zhu - National Astronomical ObservatoriesS. Dong - Kavli Institute for Theoretical SciencesB. Zhang - University of Nevada, Las VegasJ. C. Jiang - Peking Univ, Kavli Inst Astron & Astrophys, Beijing, Peoples R ChinaB. J. Wang - Peking UniversityJ. W. Xu - Kavli Institute for Theoretical SciencesC. F. Zhang - Peking UniversityH. Fu - University of Iowa, Physics and AstronomyA. Filippenko - University of California, BerkeleyE. W. Peng - Kavli Institute for Theoretical SciencesD. J. Zhou - Chinese Acad Sci, Natl Astron Observ, Beijing, Peoples R ChinaY. K. Zhang - National Astronomical ObservatoriesP. Wang - National Astronomical ObservatoriesY. Feng - National Astronomical ObservatoriesY. Li - Purple Mountain ObservatoryT. G. Brink - University of California, BerkeleyD. Z. Li - Univ Iowa, Dept Phys & Astron, Iowa City, IA 52242 USAW. Lu - Princeton UniversityY. P. Yang - Yunnan UniversityR. N. Caballero - Kavli Institute for Theoretical SciencesC. Cai - Institute of High Energy PhysicsM. Z. Chen - Xinjiang Astronomical ObservatoryZ. G. Dai - University of Science and Technology of ChinaS. G. Djorgovski - California Institute of TechnologyA. Esamdin - Xinjiang Astronomical ObservatoryH. Q. Gan - National Astronomical ObservatoriesP. Guhathakurta - University of California, Santa CruzJ. L. Han - Chinese Acad Sci, Natl Astron Observ, Beijing, Peoples R ChinaL. F. Hao - Yunnan ObservatoriesY. X. Huang - Yunnan ObservatoriesP. Jiang - National Astronomical ObservatoriesC. K. Li - Shandong UniversityD. Li - California Institute of TechnologyH. Li - National Astronomical ObservatoriesX. Q. Li - Institute of High Energy PhysicsZ. X. Li - Chinese Acad Sci, Xinjiang Astron Observ, Urumqi, Peoples R ChinaZ. Y. Liu - California Institute of TechnologyR. Luo - Astronomy and SpaceY. P. Men - Max Planck Institute for Radio AstronomyC. H. Niu - Chinese Acad Sci, Natl Astron Observ, Beijing, Peoples R ChinaW. X. Peng - Institute of High Energy PhysicsL. Qian - National Astronomical ObservatoriesL. M. Song - Institute of High Energy PhysicsD. Stern - California Institute of TechnologyA. Stockton - University of Hawaii SystemJ. H. Sun - Chinese Acad Sci, Natl Astron Observ, Beijing, Peoples R ChinaF. Y. Wang - Nanjing UniversityM. Wang - Yunnan ObservatoriesN. Wang - Xinjiang Astronomical ObservatoryW. Y. Wang - Peking UniversityX. F. Wu - Univ Nevada, Dept Phys & Astron, Las Vegas, NV 89154 USAS. Xiao - Institute of High Energy PhysicsS. L. Xiong - Institute of High Energy PhysicsY. H. Xu - Yunnan ObservatoriesR. X. Xu - Kavli Institute for Theoretical SciencesJ. Yang - Nanjing UniversityX. Yang - Purple Mountain ObservatoryR. Yao - National Astronomical ObservatoriesQ. B. Yi - Institute of High Energy PhysicsY. L. Yue - National Astronomical ObservatoriesD. J. Yu - National Astronomical ObservatoriesW. F. Yu - California Institute of TechnologyJ. P. Yuan - California Institute of TechnologyB. B. Zhang - University of Nevada, Las VegasS. B. Zhang - University of Nevada RenoS. N. Zhang - Purple Mountain ObservatoryY. Zhao - Institute of High Energy PhysicsW. K. Zheng - Peking UniversityY. Zhu - National Astronomical ObservatoriesJ. H. Zou - Nanjing University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Nature (London), Vol.609(7928), pp.685-688
- Publisher
- NATURE PORTFOLIO
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41586-022-05071-8
- PMID
- 36131036
- ISSN
- 0028-0836
- eISSN
- 1476-4687
- Number of pages
- 16
- Grant note
- 2020SKA0120100; 2020SKA0120200 / National SKA Program of China 12041304; 11873067; 11988101; 12041303; 11725313; 11725314; 11833003; 12003028; 12041306; 12103089; U2031209; U2038105; U1831207 / Natural Science Foundation of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Christopher R. Redlich Fund, the Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science W. M. Keck Foundation; W.M. Keck Foundation QYZDJ-SSW-SLH021 / Key Research Program of the CAS Cultivation Project for FAST Scientific Payoff and Research Achievement of CAMS-CAS 2019YFA0405100; 2017YFA0402602; 2018YFA0404204; 2016YFA0400801 / National Program on Key Research and Development Project Program for Innovative Talents, Entrepreneur in Jiangsu Max Planck Partner Group; Max Planck Society 7101502590 / PKU development grant 14380046 / Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities XDA15360000; XDA15052700; XDB23040400 / Strategic Priority Research Program on Space Science, the Chinese Academy of Sciences BK20211000 / Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province CMS-CSST-2021-B11; CMS-CSST-2021-A11 / China Manned Space Project Xplorer Prize
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/22/2022
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984442456602771
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