We thought we were finally engender a introductory understanding of Fast Radio Bursts ( FRBs ) as rare and one - off events , and then Mother Nature decides to throw us a curve testis and hit us with the first repeating FRB .
The beginning , FRB 121102 , was discovered first in 2012 . Last year , an outside team of researcher used the Arecibo Observatory radiocommunication telescope to seem at the same realm and they were surprised to find 10 additional bursts . As cataclysmic events do n’t repeat themselves , the squad believe that these fusillade were grow by ahighly magnetized , extragalactic neutron star topology .
FRBs were only find about a ten ago , and there are only a smattering of know examples . These phenomenon are isolated and rare , hit it very difficult for scientist to sympathise their causes . The emission regions are figure to be just a few hundred kilometers across , and it is thought that these signal are from another galaxy . These two quality indicate that whatever is behind these events must be very bright .
Hypernovae and colliding binary neutron champion , or even shameful holes , have all been proposed as likely explanations . These events are all implausibly herculean but they would be a one - off occurrence , not a multiple - burst event like the one observed .
" Not only did these bursts repeat , but their brightness and spectra also differ from those of other FRBs , " notes Laura Spitler , first author of the Modern paper , in astatement .
The research , published inNature , issue forth in a grown week for FRBs . Last week it was announced that scientists hadpinpointed the locationof an FRB for the first time , but now that claim is being questioned . Being able to nail the precise positioning is preponderating to sympathize better these astrophysical case . To recover the exact location of this strange burst consequence , scientists will involve to hit the books the source in more detail .
" Once we have precisely localise the repeater ’s emplacement on the sky , we will be able to compare observations from optical and disco biscuit - ray of light scope and see if there is a galaxy there , " says Jason Hessels , associate prof at the University of Amsterdam and the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy . " notice the host galaxy of this source is critical to realise its property . "
