LOFAR Detection of 110-188MHz emission and frequency-dependent activity from FRB20180916B
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2021
The object FRB 20180916B is a well-studied repeating fast radio burst source. Its proximity (∼150 Mpc), along with detailed studies of the bursts, has revealed many clues about its nature, including a 16.3 day periodicity in its activity. Here we report on the detection of 18 bursts using LOFAR at 110-188 MHz, by far the lowest-frequency detections of any FRB to date. Some bursts are seen down to the lowest observed frequency of 110 MHz, suggesting that their spectra extend even lower. These observations provide an order-of-magnitude stronger constraint on the optical depth due to freëCfree absorption in the source's local environment. The absence of circular polarization and nearly flat polarization angle curves are consistent with burst properties seen at 300-1700 MHz. Compared with higher frequencies, the larger burst widths (∼40-160 ms at 150 MHz) and lower linear polarization fractions are likely due to scattering. We find ∼2-3 rad m variations in the Faraday rotation measure that may be correlated with the activity cycle of the source. We compare the LOFAR burst arrival times to those of 38 previously published and 22 newly detected bursts from the uGMRT (200-450 MHz) and CHIME/FRB (400-800 MHz). Simultaneous observations show five CHIME/FRB bursts when no emission is detected by LOFAR. We find that the burst activity is systematically delayed toward lower frequencies by about 3 days from 600 to 150 MHz. We discuss these results in the context of a model in which FRB 20180916B is an interacting binary system featuring a neutron star and high-mass stellar companion.
Författare
Z. Pleunis
McGill University
D. Michilli
McGill University
C. G. Bassa
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
J. W. T. Hessels
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Universiteit Van Amsterdam
A. Naidu
University of Oxford
B. Andersen
McGill University
P. Chawla
McGill University
E. Fonseca
West Virginia University
McGill University
A. Gopinath
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Universiteit Van Amsterdam
V. M. Kaspi
McGill University
V. I. Kondratiev
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Russian Academy of Sciences
D. Z. Li
University of Toronto
Institut canadien d'astrophysique théorique
M. Bhardwaj
McGill University
P. J. Boyle
McGill University
C. Brar
McGill University
T. Cassanelli
University of Toronto
Y. Gupta
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics India
A. Josephy
McGill University
R. Karuppusamy
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
A. Keimpema
JOINT INSTITUTE FOR V.L.B.I. IN EUROPE (J.I.V.E.)
Franz Kirsten
Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Astronomi och plasmafysik
C. Leung
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
B. Marcote
JOINT INSTITUTE FOR V.L.B.I. IN EUROPE (J.I.V.E.)
K. Masui
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
R. Mckinven
University of Toronto
B. W. Meyers
University of British Columbia (UBC)
C. Ng
University of Toronto
K. Nimmo
Universiteit Van Amsterdam
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Z. Paragi
JOINT INSTITUTE FOR V.L.B.I. IN EUROPE (J.I.V.E.)
M. Rahman
University of Toronto
Sidrat Research
P. Scholz
University of Toronto
K. Shin
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
K. M. Smith
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
I. H. Stairs
University of British Columbia (UBC)
S. P. Tendulkar
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics India
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Astrophysical Journal Letters
2041-8205 (ISSN) 2041-8213 (eISSN)
Vol. 911 1 L3Ämneskategorier
Meteorologi och atmosfärforskning
Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi
Atom- och molekylfysik och optik
DOI
10.3847/2041-8213/abec72