Limits on Precursor and Afterglow Radio Emission from a Fast Radio Burst in a Star-forming Galaxy
Australia Telescope National Facility1, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology2, Curtin University3, Swinburne University of Technology4, Macquarie University5, University of Sydney6, Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe7, University of California, Santa Cruz8, Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso9, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation10
TL;DR: In this paper, a fast radio burst (FRB) at 920 MHz was discovered during commensal observations conducted with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) as part of the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients (CRAFT) survey.
Abstract: We present a new fast radio burst (FRB) at 920 MHz discovered during commensal observations conducted with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) as part of the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients (CRAFT) survey. FRB 191001 was detected at a dispersion measure (DM) of 506.92(4) pc cm$^{-3}$ and its measured fluence of 143(15) Jy ms is the highest of the bursts localized to host galaxies by ASKAP to date. The subarcsecond localization of the FRB provided by ASKAP reveals that the burst originated in the outskirts of a highly star-forming spiral in a galaxy pair at redshift $z=0.2340(1)$. Radio observations show no evidence for a compact persistent radio source associated with the FRB 191001 above a flux density of $15 \mu$Jy. However, we detect diffuse synchrotron radio emission from the disk of the host galaxy that we ascribe to ongoing star formation. FRB 191001 was also detected as an image-plane transient in a single 10 s snapshot with a flux density of 19.3 mJy in the low-time-resolution visibilities obtained simultaneously with CRAFT data. The commensal observation facilitated a search for repeating and slowly varying radio emissions 8 hr before and 1 hr after the burst. We found no variable radio emission on timescales ranging from 1 ms to 1.4 hr. We report our upper limits and briefly review FRB progenitor theories in the literature that predict radio afterglows. Our data are still only weakly constraining of any afterglows at the redshift of the FRB. Future commensal observations of more nearby and bright FRBs will potentially provide stronger constraints.
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University of Iceland1, University of California, Santa Cruz2, Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe3, University of Cape Town4, Northwestern University5, Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso6, West Virginia University7, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation8, Swinburne University of Technology9, California Institute of Technology10, Curtin University11, University of Sydney12
141 citations
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics1, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research2, Complutense University of Madrid3, Ioffe Institute4, National Autonomous University of Mexico5, University of Amsterdam6, ASTRON7, McGill University8, Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe9, Chalmers University of Technology10, California Institute of Technology11, Massachusetts Institute of Technology12, University of Toronto13, Spanish National Research Council14, University of British Columbia15
TL;DR: The16.35 day period in its bursting was reported in this paper, where optical and infrared imaging as well as integral field spectroscopy observations of FRB 20180916B with the WFC3 camera on the Hubble Space Telescope and the MEGARA spectrograph on the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias.
Abstract: Fast radio burst FRB 20180916B in its host galaxy SDSS J015800.28+654253.0 at 149 Mpc is by far the closest-known FRB with a robust host galaxy association. The source also exhibits a 16.35 day period in its bursting. Here we present optical and infrared imaging as well as integral field spectroscopy observations of FRB 20180916B with the WFC3 camera on the Hubble Space Telescope and the MEGARA spectrograph on the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias. The 60-90 milliarcsecond (mas) resolution of the Hubble imaging, along with the previous 2.3 mas localization of FRB 20180916B, allows us to probe its environment with a 30-60 pc resolution. We constrain any point-like star formation or H ii region at the location of FRB 20180916B to have an H alpha luminosity L-H alpha less than or similar to 10(37) erg s(-1), and we correspondingly constrain the local star formation rate to be less than or similar to 10(-4) M yr(-1). The constraint on H alpha suggests that possible stellar companions to FRB 20180916B should be of a cooler, less massive spectral type than O6V. FRB 20180916B is 250 pc away (in projected distance) from the brightest pixel of the nearest young stellar clump, which is similar to 380 pc in size (FWHM). With the typical projected velocities of pulsars, magnetars, or neutron stars in binaries (60-750 km s(-1)), FRB 20180916B would need 800 kyr to 7 Myr to traverse the observed distance from its presumed birth site. This timescale is inconsistent with the active ages of magnetars (less than or similar to 10 kyr). Rather, the inferred age and observed separation are compatible with the ages of high-mass X-ray binaries and gamma-ray binaries, and their separations from the nearest OB associations.
72 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented observations and detailed characterizations of five new host galaxies of fast radio bursts (FRBs) discovered with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and localized to $\lesssim 1''.
Abstract: We present observations and detailed characterizations of five new host galaxies of fast radio bursts (FRBs) discovered with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and localized to $\lesssim 1''$. Combining these galaxies with FRB hosts from the literature, we introduce criteria based on the probability of chance coincidence to define a sub-sample of 10 highly-confident associations (at $z=0.03-0.52$), three of which correspond to known repeating FRBs. Overall, the FRB host galaxies exhibit a broad, continuous range of color ($M_u-M_r = 0.9 - 2.0$), stellar mass ($M_\star = 10^{8} - 6\times 10^{10}\,M_{\odot}$), and star-formation rate (${\rm SFR} = 0.05 - 10\,M_{\odot}\,{\rm yr}^{-1}$) spanning the full parameter space occupied by $z 99\%$ c.l.). We measure a median offset of 3.3 kpc from the FRB to the estimated center of the host galaxies and compare the host-burst offset distribution and other properties with the distributions of long- and short-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs and SGRBs), core-collapse supernovae (CC-SNe), and Type Ia SNe. This analysis rules out galaxies hosting LGRBs (faint, star-forming galaxies) as common hosts for FRBs ($>95\%$ c.l.). Other transient channels (SGRBs, CC- and Type Ia SNe) have host galaxy properties and offsets consistent with the FRB distributions. All of the data and derived quantities are made publicly available on a dedicated website and repository.
62 citations
Cites background or methods or result from "Limits on Precursor and Afterglow R..."
...In Figure 10, we compare the stellar mass distribution of the FRB hosts to the host galaxies of these other transients, namely SGRBs (Nugent et al. 2020), LGRBs (Vergani et al. 2015), and CC-SNe (Schulze et al. 2020)....
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...We measure a median offset of 3.3 kpc from the FRB to the estimated center of the host galaxies and compare the host-burst offset distribution and other properties with the distributions of long- and short-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs and SGRBs), core-collapse supernovae (CC-SNe), and Type Ia SNe....
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...This more than doubles the number of ASKAPdetected FRB hosts studied in our previous work (Bhandari et al. 2020a)....
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...The resemblance to the hosts of long-duration GRBs and superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) promoted “young” flaring magnetar models as the origin of the repeat bursts (e.g. Metzger et al. 2017; Margalit & Metzger 2018)....
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...…180916 (Marcote et al. 2020), 180924 (Bannister et al. 2019; Bhandari et al. 2020a), 181112 (Prochaska et al. 2019b), 190102 (Macquart et al. 2020; Bhandari et al. 2020a), 190523 (Ravi et al. 2019), 190608 (Macquart et al. 2020; Bhandari et al. 2020a; Chittidi et al. 2020), and 20190614D…...
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TL;DR: In this paper , the authors presented a growing, but still mysterious, population of fast radio burst (FRB) sources, 60 unique sources, 2 repeating FRBs, and only 1 identified host galaxy.
Abstract: Since the discovery of the first fast radio burst (FRB) in 2007, and their confirmation as an abundant extragalactic population in 2013, the study of these sources has expanded at an incredible rate. In our 2019 review on the subject we presented a growing, but still mysterious, population of FRBs -- 60 unique sources, 2 repeating FRBs, and only 1 identified host galaxy. However, in only a few short years new observations and discoveries have given us a wealth of information about these sources. The total FRB population now stands at over 600 published sources, 24 repeaters, and 19 host galaxies. Higher time resolution data, sustained monitoring, and precision localisations have given us insight into repeaters, host galaxies, burst morphology, source activity, progenitor models, and the use of FRBs as cosmological probes. The recent detection of a bright FRB-like burst from the Galactic magnetar SGR~1935+2154 provides an important link between FRBs and magnetars. There also continue to be surprising discoveries, like periodic modulation of activity from repeaters and the localisation of one FRB source to a relatively nearby globular cluster associated with the M81 galaxy. In this review, we summarise the exciting observational results from the past few years. We also highlight their impact on our understanding of the FRB population and proposed progenitor models. We build on the introduction to FRBs in our earlier review, update our readers on recent results, and discuss interesting avenues for exploration as the field enters a new regime where hundreds to thousands of new FRBs will be discovered and reported each year.
57 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors presented the localization and host galaxies of one repeating and two apparently non-repeating Fast Radio Bursts (FRB) and analyzed the host galaxy properties.
Abstract: We present the localization and host galaxies of one repeating and two apparently non-repeating Fast Radio Bursts. FRB20180301A was detected and localized with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array to a star-forming galaxy at $z=0.3304$. FRB20191228A, and FRB20200906A were detected and localized by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder to host galaxies at $z=0.2430$ and $z=0.3688$, respectively. We combine these with 13 other well-localized FRBs in the literature, and analyze the host galaxy properties. We find no significant differences in the host properties of repeating and apparently non-repeating FRBs. FRB hosts are moderately star-forming, with masses slightly offset from the star-forming main-sequence. Star formation and low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER) emission are major sources of ionization in FRB host galaxies, with the former dominant in repeating FRB hosts. FRB hosts do not track stellar mass and star formation as seen in field galaxies (more than 95% confidence). FRBs are rare in massive red galaxies, suggesting that progenitor formation channels are not solely dominated by delayed channels which lag star formation by Gigayears. The global properties of FRB hosts are indistinguishable from core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) and short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) hosts, and the spatial offset (from galaxy centers) of FRBs is mostly inconsistent with that of the Galactic neutron star population (95% confidence). The spatial offsets of FRBs (normalized to the galaxy effective radius) also differ from those of globular clusters (GCs) in late- and early-type galaxies with 95% confidence.
56 citations
References
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TL;DR: A 30-jansky dispersed burst, less than 5 milliseconds in duration, located 3° from the Small Magellanic Cloud is found, which implies that it was a singular event such as a supernova or coalescence of relativistic objects.
Abstract: Pulsar surveys offer a rare opportunity to monitor the radio sky for impulsive burst-like events with millisecond durations. We analyzed archival survey data and found a 30-jansky dispersed burst, less than 5 milliseconds in duration, located 3 degrees from the Small Magellanic Cloud. The burst properties argue against a physical association with our Galaxy or the Small Magellanic Cloud. Current models for the free electron content in the universe imply that the burst is less than 1 gigaparsec distant. No further bursts were seen in 90 hours of additional observations, which implies that it was a singular event such as a supernova or coalescence of relativistic objects. Hundreds of similar events could occur every day and, if detected, could serve as cosmological probes.
1,644 citations
"Limits on Precursor and Afterglow R..." refers background in this paper
...12 48 8v 1 [ as Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are energetic bursts of radio emission that last for tens of microseconds to tens of milliseconds (Lorimer et al. 2007) and originate at cosmological distances (Chatterjee et al. 2017; Bannister et al. 2019; Ravi et al. 2019)....
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Max Planck Society1, McGill University2, University of Amsterdam3, ASTRON4, Columbia University5, Cornell University6, Franklin & Marshall College7, United States Naval Research Laboratory8, National Radio Astronomy Observatory9, West Virginia University10, Arecibo Observatory11, University of British Columbia12, University of Manchester13
TL;DR: These repeat bursts with high dispersion measure and variable spectra specifically seen from the direction of FRB 121102 support an origin in a young, highly magnetized, extragalactic neutron star.
Abstract: Observations of repeated fast radio bursts, having dispersion measures and sky positions consistent with those of FRB 121102, show that the signals do not originate in a single cataclysmic event and may come from a young, highly magnetized, extragalactic neutron star. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are transient radio pulses that last a few milliseconds. They are thought to be extragalactic, and are of unknown physical origin. Many FRB models have proposed the cause to be one-time-only cataclysmic events. Follow-up monitoring of detected bursts did not reveal repeat bursts, consistent with such models. However, this paper reports ten additional bursts from the direction of FRB 121102, demonstrating that its source survived the energetic events that caused the bursts. Although there may be multiple physical origins for the burst, the repeating bursts seen from FRB 121102 support an origin in a young, highly magnetized, extragalactic neutron star. Fast radio bursts are millisecond-duration astronomical radio pulses of unknown physical origin that appear to come from extragalactic distances1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Previous follow-up observations have failed to find additional bursts at the same dispersion measure (that is, the integrated column density of free electrons between source and telescope) and sky position as the original detections9. The apparent non-repeating nature of these bursts has led to the suggestion that they originate in cataclysmic events10. Here we report observations of ten additional bursts from the direction of the fast radio burst FRB 121102. These bursts have dispersion measures and sky positions consistent with the original burst4. This unambiguously identifies FRB 121102 as repeating and demonstrates that its source survives the energetic events that cause the bursts. Additionally, the bursts from FRB 121102 show a wide range of spectral shapes that appear to be predominantly intrinsic to the source and which vary on timescales of minutes or less. Although there may be multiple physical origins for the population of fast radio bursts, these repeat bursts with high dispersion measure and variable spectra specifically seen from the direction of FRB 121102 support an origin in a young, highly magnetized, extragalactic neutron star11,12.
883 citations
"Limits on Precursor and Afterglow R..." refers background in this paper
...More than 20 FRB sources have been observed to emit repeat pulses (Spitler et al. 2016; Andersen et al. 2019; Kumar et al. 2019), allowing some of them to be localized to host galaxies via targeted follow-up with radio interferometers (Tendulkar et al. 2016; Marcote et al. 2020)....
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TL;DR: In this article, a new model for the distribution of free electrons in the Galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds, and the intergalactic medium (IGM) that can be used to estimate distances to real or simulated pulsars and fast radio bursts (FRBs) based on their dispersion measure (DM) was presented.
Abstract: We present a new model for the distribution of free electrons in the Galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds, and the intergalactic medium (IGM) that can be used to estimate distances to real or simulated pulsars and fast radio bursts (FRBs) based on their dispersion measure (DM). The Galactic model has an extended thick disk representing the so-called warm interstellar medium, a thin disk representing the Galactic molecular ring, spiral arms based on a recent fit to Galactic H II regions, a Galactic Center disk, and seven local features including the Gum Nebula, Galactic Loop I, and the Local Bubble. An offset of the Sun from the Galactic plane and a warp of the outer Galactic disk are included in the model. Parameters of the Galactic model are determined by fitting to 189 pulsars with independently determined distances and DMs. Simple models are used for the Magellanic Clouds and the IGM. Galactic model distances are within the uncertainty range for 86 of the 189 independently determined distances and within 20% of the nearest limit for a further 38 pulsars. We estimate that 95% of predicted Galactic pulsar distances will have a relative error of less than a factor of 0.9. The predictions of YMW16 are compared to those of the TC93 and NE2001 models showing that YMW16 performs significantly better on all measures. Timescales for pulse broadening due to interstellar scattering are estimated for (real or simulated) Galactic and Magellanic Cloud pulsars and FRBs.
801 citations
Cornell University1, University of California, Berkeley2, West Virginia University3, National Radio Astronomy Observatory4, University of Amsterdam5, ASTRON6, Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics7, McGill University8, Arecibo Observatory9, National Research Council10, Haverford College11, Columbia University12, Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe13, California Institute of Technology14, Max Planck Society15, Leiden University16
TL;DR: The authors' observations are inconsistent with the fast radio burst having a Galactic origin or its source being located within a prominent star-forming galaxy, and the source appears to be co-located with a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus or a previously unknown type of extragalactic source.
Abstract: Subarcsecond localization of the repeating fast radio burst FRB 121102 shows that its source is co-located with a faint galaxy with a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus, or a previously unknown type of extragalactic source. Shami Chatterjee et al. report the subarcsecond localization of the Arecibo-discovered fast radio burst FRB 121102, the only known repeating burst source, using high-time-resolution radio interferometric observations that directly image the bursts. FRBs are radio flashes of unknown physical nature with durations of milliseconds. Previous observations have lacked the resolution to uniquely identify a host or multi-wavelength counterpart. The localization of FRB 121102 reveals a persistent radio and optical source that is coincident with the bursts to within 100 milliarcseconds. The enigmatic persistent source could be a neutron star within its nebula in a distant host galaxy, a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus, or a previously unknown type of extragalactic source. Fast radio bursts1,2 are astronomical radio flashes of unknown physical nature with durations of milliseconds. Their dispersive arrival times suggest an extragalactic origin and imply radio luminosities that are orders of magnitude larger than those of all known short-duration radio transients3. So far all fast radio bursts have been detected with large single-dish telescopes with arcminute localizations, and attempts to identify their counterparts (source or host galaxy) have relied on the contemporaneous variability of field sources4 or the presence of peculiar field stars5 or galaxies4. These attempts have not resulted in an unambiguous association6,7 with a host or multi-wavelength counterpart. Here we report the subarcsecond localization of the fast radio burst FRB 121102, the only known repeating burst source8,9,10,11, using high-time-resolution radio interferometric observations that directly image the bursts. Our precise localization reveals that FRB 121102 originates within 100 milliarcseconds of a faint 180-microJansky persistent radio source with a continuum spectrum that is consistent with non-thermal emission, and a faint (twenty-fifth magnitude) optical counterpart. The flux density of the persistent radio source varies by around ten per cent on day timescales, and very long baseline radio interferometry yields an angular size of less than 1.7 milliarcseconds. Our observations are inconsistent with the fast radio burst having a Galactic origin or its source being located within a prominent star-forming galaxy. Instead, the source appears to be co-located with a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus or a previously unknown type of extragalactic source. Localization and identification of a host or counterpart has been essential to understanding the origins and physics of other kinds of transient events, including gamma-ray bursts12,13 and tidal disruption events14. However, if other fast radio bursts have similarly faint radio and optical counterparts, our findings imply that direct subarcsecond localizations may be the only way to provide reliable associations.
772 citations
"Limits on Precursor and Afterglow R..." refers background in this paper
...This luminosity is an order of magnitude less than the luminosity of persistent source observed for FRB 121102 (Chatterjee et al. 2017)....
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...12 48 8v 1 [ as Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are energetic bursts of radio emission that last for tens of microseconds to tens of milliseconds (Lorimer et al. 2007) and originate at cosmological distances (Chatterjee et al. 2017; Bannister et al. 2019; Ravi et al. 2019)....
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TL;DR: A new set of software applications and libraries for use in the archival and analysis of pulsar astronomical data is introduced, developed in parallel with a new data storage format called psrfits, which is based on the Flexible Image Transport System (FITS).
Abstract: A new set of software applications and libraries for use in the archival and analysis of pulsar astronomical data is introduced. Known collectively as the psrchive scheme, the code was developed in parallel with a new data storage format called psrfits, which is based on the Flexible Image Transport System (FITS). Both of these projects utilise a modular, object-oriented design philosophy. psrchive is an open source development environment that incorporates an extensive range of c++ object classes and pre-built command line and graphical utilities. These deal transparently and simultaneously with multiple data storage formats, thereby enhancing data portability and facilitating the adoption of the psrfits file format. Here, data are stored in a series of modular header-data units that provide flexibility and scope for future expansion. As it is based on FITS, various standard libraries and applications may be used for data input, output, and visualisation. Both psrchive and psrfits are made publicly available to the academic community in the hope that this will promote their widespread use and acceptance.
747 citations
"Limits on Precursor and Afterglow R..." refers methods in this paper
...We used the RMFIT program in the PSRCHIVE software package (Hotan et al. 2004) to calculate the rotation measure (RM) of FRB 191001....
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