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Sub-second periodicity in a fast radio burst

From National Research Council Canada

DOIResolve DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04841-8
AuthorSearch for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5908-3152; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3772-2798; Search for: ; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8537-9299; Search for: ; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2349-3341; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2047-5276; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2878-1502; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3426-7606; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6509-8430; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2319-9676; Search for: ; Search for: 1; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5553-9167; Search for: ; Search for: 1; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3059-6223; Search for: 1; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2739-5869; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3354-3859; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9345-0307; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4209-7408; Search for: ; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7453-4273; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4279-6946; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8845-1225; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2551-7554; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: 1; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2155-9578; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7694-6650; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1842-6096; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5799-9714; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3463-7918; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5504-229X; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7374-7119; Search for: ; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6823-2073; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ; Search for: ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8278-1936
Affiliation
  1. National Research Council of Canada. Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics
FormatText, Article
Abstract
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration flashes of radio waves that are visible at distances of billions of light years. The nature of their progenitors and their emission mechanism remain open astrophysical questions. Here we report the detection of the multicomponent FRB 20191221A and the identification of a periodic separation of 216.8(1) ms between its components, with a significance of 6.5σ. The long (roughly 3 s) duration and nine or more components forming the pulse profile make this source an outlier in the FRB population. Such short periodicity provides strong evidence for a neutron-star origin of the event. Moreover, our detection favours emission arising from the neutron-star magnetosphere, as opposed to emission regions located further away from the star, as predicted by some models.
Publication date
PublisherIOP
In
  • Nature 607, no. 7918 (13 July 2022): 256–259.
LanguageEnglish
Peer reviewedYes
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Record identifier654601db-3ab8-412d-a5f3-8dc7640f73ad
Record created2024-01-31
Record modified2024-01-31
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