Multiwavelength constraints on the origin of a nearby repeating fast radio burst source in a globular cluster
Journal article, 2025
The precise origins of fast radio bursts (FRBs) remain unknown. Multiwavelength observations of nearby FRB sources can provide important insights into the enigmatic FRB phenomenon. Here we present results from a sensitive, broadband X-ray and radio observational campaign of FRB 20200120E, the closest known extragalactic repeating FRB source (located 3.63 Mpc away in an similar to 10-Gyr-old globular cluster). We place deep limits on the persistent and prompt X-ray emission from FRB 20200120E, which we use to constrain possible origins for the source. We compare our results with various classes of X-ray sources, transients and FRB models. We find that FRB 20200120E is unlikely to be associated with ultraluminous X-ray bursts, magnetar-like giant flares or an SGR 1935+2154-like intermediate flare. Although other types of bright magnetar-like intermediate flares and short X-ray bursts would have been detectable from FRB 20200120E during our observations, we cannot entirely rule them out as a class. We show that FRB 20200120E is unlikely to be powered by an ultraluminous X-ray source or a young extragalactic pulsar embedded in a Crab-like nebula. We also provide new constraints on the compatibility of FRB 20200120E with accretion-based FRB models involving X-ray binaries. These results highlight the power of multiwavelength observations of nearby FRBs for discriminating between FRB models.
Author
Aaron B. Pearlman
McGill University
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Paul Scholz
University of Toronto
York University
Suryarao Bethapudi
Max Planck Society
Jason W. T. Hessels
McGill University
Netherlands Inst Radio Astron
University of Amsterdam
Victoria M. Kaspi
McGill University
Franz Kirsten
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory
Kenzie Nimmo
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Laura G. Spitler
Max Planck Society
Emmanuel Fonseca
West Virginia University
Bradley W. Meyers
Curtin University
University of British Columbia (UBC)
Ingrid H. Stairs
University of British Columbia (UBC)
Chia Min Tan
McGill University
Curtin University
Mohit Bhardwaj
Carnegie Mellon Univ, McWilliams Ctr Cosmol, Dept Phys
Shami Chatterjee
Cornell University
Amanda M. Cook
University of Toronto
Alice P. Curtin
McGill University
Fengqiu Adam Dong
University of British Columbia (UBC)
Tarraneh Eftekhari
Northwestern Univ, Ctr Interdisciplinary Explorat & Res Astrophys, Dept Phys & Astron
B. M. Gaensler
University of Toronto
University of California at Santa Cruz
Tolga Guver
Istanbul University
Jane Kaczmarek
University of British Columbia (UBC)
CSIRO Space & Astron
Calvin Leung
University of California at Berkeley
Kiyoshi W. Masui
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Daniele Michilli
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Thomas A. Prince
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Ketan R. Sand
McGill University
Kaitlyn Shin
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Kendrick M. Smith
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Shriharsh P. Tendulkar
MaRS Ctr
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics India
Nature Astronomy
23973366 (eISSN)
Vol. 9 1 111-127Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
DOI
10.1038/s41550-024-02386-6