Chromatic periodic activity down to 120 megahertz in a fast radio burst
Journal article, 2021
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are extragalactic astrophysical transients(1) whose brightness requires emitters that are highly energetic yet compact enough to produce the short, millisecond-duration bursts. FRBs have thus far been detected at frequencies from 8 gigahertz (ref. (2)) down to 300 megahertz (ref. (3)), but lower-frequency emission has remained elusive. Some FRBs repeat(4-6), and one of the most frequently detected, FRB 20180916B(7), has a periodicity cycle of 16.35 days (ref. (8)). Using simultaneous radio data spanning a wide range of wavelengths (a factor of more than 10), here we show that FRB 20180916B emits down to 120 megahertz, and that its activity window is frequency dependent (that is, chromatic). The window is both narrower and earlier at higher frequencies. Binary wind interaction models predict a wider window at higher frequencies, the opposite of our observations. Our full-cycle coverage shows that the 16.3-day periodicity is not aliased. We establish that low-frequency FRB emission can escape the local medium. For bursts of the same fluence, FRB 20180916B is more active below 200 megahertz than at 1.4 gigahertz. Combining our results with previous upper limits on the all-sky FRB rate at 150 megahertz, we find there are 3-450 FRBs in the sky per day above 50 Jy ms. Our chromatic results strongly disfavour scenarios in which absorption from strong stellar winds causes FRB periodicity. We demonstrate that some FRBs are found in 'clean' environments that do not absorb or scatter low-frequency radiation. The fast radio burst FRB 20180916B repeats with a periodicity of 16 days, and is now found to emit down to a frequency of 120 MHz, much lower than previously observed.
Author
Ines Pastor-Marazuela
University of Amsterdam
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Liam Connor
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
University of Amsterdam
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Joeri van Leeuwen
University of Amsterdam
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Yogesh Maan
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Sander ter Veen
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Anna Bilous
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Leon Oostrum
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Netherlands eScience Center
University of Amsterdam
Emily Petroff
University of Amsterdam
Samayra Straal
New York University
Dany Vohl
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Jisk Attema
Netherlands eScience Center
Oliver M. Boersma
University of Amsterdam
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Eric Kooistra
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Daniel van der Schuur
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Alessio Sclocco
Netherlands eScience Center
Roy Smits
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Elizabeth A. K. Adams
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Kapteyn Astronomical Institute
Bjoern Adebahr
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
W. J. G. de Blok
University of Cape Town
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Kapteyn Astronomical Institute
Arthur H. W. M. Coolen
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Sieds Damstra
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Helga Denes
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Kelley Michelle Hess
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Kapteyn Astronomical Institute
Thijs van der Hulst
Kapteyn Astronomical Institute
Marianna Ivashina
Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Communication, Antennas and Optical Networks
Alexander Kutkin
Russian Academy of Sciences
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
G. Marcel Loose
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Danielle M. Lucero
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Agnes Mika
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Vanessa A. Moss
The University of Sydney
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
Henk Mulder
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Menno J. Norden
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Tom Oosterloo
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Kapteyn Astronomical Institute
Emanuela Orru
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Mark Ruiter
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Stefan J. Wijnholds
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Nature
0028-0836 (ISSN) 1476-4687 (eISSN)
Vol. 596 7873 505-508Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Signal Processing
DOI
10.1038/s41586-021-03724-8
PubMed
34433943