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
University of Cagliari
Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)
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
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
West Virginia University
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
Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics
Academia Sinica
K. W. Masui
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
R. Mckinven
University of Toronto
D. Michilli
McGill University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
A. G. Mikhailov
Russian Academy of Sciences
C. Ng
University of Toronto
A. Orbidans
Ventspils Augstskola
U. L. Pen
Academia Sinica
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics
University of Toronto
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
E. Petroff
Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy
McGill University
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 585-589Subject 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