A repeating fast radio burst source in a globular cluster
Journal article, 2022

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are flashes of unknown physical origin1. The majority of FRBs have been seen only once, although some are known to generate multiple flashes2,3. Many models invoke magnetically powered neutron stars (magnetars) as the source of the emission4,5. Recently, the discovery6 of another repeater (FRB 20200120E) was announced, in the direction of the nearby galaxy M81, with four potential counterparts at other wavelengths6. Here we report observations that localized the FRB to a globular cluster associated with M81, where it is 2 parsecs away from the optical centre of the cluster. Globular clusters host old stellar populations, challenging FRB models that invoke young magnetars formed in a core-collapse supernova. We propose instead that FRB 20200120E originates from a highly magnetized neutron star formed either through the accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf, or the merger of compact stars in a binary system7. Compact binaries are efficiently formed inside globular clusters, so a model invoking them could also be responsible for the observed bursts.

Author

Franz Kirsten

Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics

B. Marcote

Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)

K. Nimmo

Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)

Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy

J. W. T. Hessels

Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy

Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)

M. Bhardwaj

McGill University

S. P. Tendulkar

National Centre for Radio Astrophysics India

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

A. Keimpema

Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)

Jun Yang

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory

M. P. Snelders

Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy

P. Scholz

University of Toronto

A. B. Pearlman

McGill University

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

C. J. Law

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

W. M. Peters

Naval Research Laboratory

M. Giroletti

Istituto di Radioastronomia

Z. Paragi

Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)

C. G. Bassa

Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)

D. M. Hewitt

Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy

U. Bach

Max Planck Society

V. Bezrukovs

Ventspils Augstskola

M. Burgay

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

S. Buttaccio

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

John Conway

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory

A. Corongiu

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

R. Feiler

Nicolaus Copernicus University

Olof Forssén

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Geoscience and Remote Sensing

M. P. Gawroński

Nicolaus Copernicus University

R. Karuppusamy

Max Planck Society

M. A. Kharinov

Russian Academy of Sciences

Michael Lindqvist

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory

G. Maccaferri

Istituto di Radioastronomia

Alexey Melnikov

Russian Academy of Sciences

O. S. Ould-Boukattine

Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy

A. Possenti

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

University of Cagliari

G. Surcis

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

Na Wang

Chinese Academy of Sciences

J. Yuan

Chinese Academy of Sciences

K. Aggarwal

West Virginia University

R. Anna-Thomas

West Virginia University

G. C. Bower

Academia Sinica

R. Blaauw

Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)

S. Burke-Spolaor

West Virginia University

Canadian Institute for Advanced Research

T. Cassanelli

University of Toronto

T. E. Clarke

Naval Research Laboratory

E. Fonseca

McGill University

West Virginia University

B. Gaensler

University of Toronto

A. Gopinath

Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy

V. M. Kaspi

McGill University

N. Kassim

Naval Research Laboratory

T. Joseph W. Lazio

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

C. Leung

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

D. Z. Li

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

H. H. Lin

Academia Sinica

Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics

K. W. Masui

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

R. Mckinven

University of Toronto

D. Michilli

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

McGill University

A. G. Mikhailov

Russian Academy of Sciences

C. Ng

University of Toronto

A. Orbidans

Ventspils Augstskola

U. L. Pen

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Canadian Institute for Advanced Research

University of Toronto

Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics

Academia Sinica

E. Petroff

McGill University

Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy

M. Rahman

Sidrat Research

S. M. Ransom

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

K. Shin

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

K. M. Smith

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

I. H. Stairs

University of British Columbia (UBC)

Wouter Vlemmings

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics

Nature

0028-0836 (ISSN) 1476-4687 (eISSN)

Vol. 602 7898 585-589

Fundamental physics, magnetic fields and gravity with recent and future radio interferometers

Swedish Research Council (VR) (2014-5713), 2014-01-01 -- 2019-12-31.

Subject Categories

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

DOI

10.1038/s41586-021-04354-w

PubMed

35197615

Related datasets

Data Sets and plotting scripts supporting Kirsten et al. 2022 [dataset]

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5708237

More information

Latest update

11/29/2024