Latest news with #FRB20240209A
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Mysterious fast radio burst traced back to massive 'cosmic graveyard' of ancient stars
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have been forced to reassess the origins of mysterious, rapid radio wave blasts called "fast radio bursts" (FRBs). This rethink was brought about by an FRB first detected last year, which has been traced back to the "cosmic graveyard" of a massive "dead" galaxy filled with ancient stars located 2 billion light-years from Earth. FRBs are usually attributed to the supernova deaths of massive young stars in younger galaxies experiencing bouts of star formation. This event also triggers the birth of highly magnetic neutron stars, or "magnetars." However, this FRB source galaxy appears to lack such elements, meaning FRB-producing events may be more diverse than previously thought. "This new FRB shows us that just when you think you understand an astrophysical phenomenon, the universe turns around and surprises us," team member and Northwestern University scientist Wen-fai Fong said. "This 'dialogue' with the universe is what makes our field of time-domain astronomy so incredibly thrilling.' This theory-altering research began in Feb. 2024 when the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) detected a new FRB, which was later designated FRB 20240209A. Most FRBs flare once, lasting mere milliseconds and emitting more energy than the sun radiates in a year. However, FRB 20240209A flared repeatedly, with the same source generating 21 pulses between February and July 2024. Six of these pulses were detected by a smaller version of CHIME, an "outrigger" telescope located around 37.3 miles (60 kilometers) from the main instrument. These outriggers exist to allow astronomers to pinpoint the source of the FRBs CHIME detects. Thus, the team was able to do this backtracking exercise for FRB 20240209A. With the source of FRB 20240209A located, the team performed follow-up observations with the W.M. Keck and Gemini observatories to learn as much as they could about its environment. If the scientists were expecting a young galaxy like the typical FRB source, they were in for a surprise. Their follow-up investigation showed FRB 20240209A originated from the edge of an 11.3-billion-year-old team set about learning more about this galaxy by performing advanced computer simulations. This revealed that the galactic host of this FRB is extremely luminous and has a mass of around 100 billion times the mass of our sun. "It seems to be the most massive FRB host galaxy to date," team member and Northwestern Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) scientist Tarraneh Eftekhari said. "It's among some of the most massive galaxies out there." The source of this FRB within the galaxy also presents a conundrum. That is because FRBs usually originate well within their galaxies. FRB 20240209A, however, came from the outskirts of its host galaxy, around 130,000 lightyears from the galactic center. "Among the FRB population, this FRB is located the furthest from the center of its host galaxy," said Vishwangi Shah, a graduate student at McGill, who led the effort to pinpoint the source of FRB 20240209A. "This is both surprising and exciting, as FRBs are expected to originate inside galaxies, often in star-forming regions. "The location of this FRB so far outside its host galaxy raises questions as to how such energetic events can occur in regions where no new stars are forming." Prior to this, only one FRB had ever been traced to the outer limits of a galaxy. In 2022, FRB 20200120E was traced to a dense star cluster, or globular cluster, on the outskirts of Messier 81 (M81), a spiral galaxy around 12 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa emerging from very different galaxies, FRB 20240209A and FRB 20200120E shared many similarities. "A few years ago, the M81 FRB was surprisingly discovered within a dense cluster of stars called a globular cluster," Fong said. "That event single-handedly halted the conventional train of thought and made us explore other progenitor scenarios for FRBs."Since FRB 20200120E was detected, no FRB had like it had been observed. That led Fong and the team to believe FRB 20200120E was a one-off discovery — until now."In fact, this CHIME FRB could be a twin of the M81 event. It is far from its home galaxy, far away from where any stars are being born, and the population of stars in its home galaxy is extremely old. It's had its heyday and is now coasting into retirement," Fong said. "At the same time, this type of old environment is making us rethink our standard FRB progenitor models and turning to more exotic formation channels, which is exciting." Thus far, around 100 FRBs have been linked to a galactic host, and most of these have been connected to a magnetar — a highly magnetic form of neutron all neutron stars, magnetars are formed when massive stars run out of their fuel for nuclear fusion. This means the outward flow of energy that supports them against collapse is cut off, and the star can no longer support itself against the crushing inward force of its own gravity. As the star's core rapidly crushes down to form a neutron star, the outer layers and most of the star's mass are blown away in a core-collapse supernova. "The prevailing theory is that FRBs come from magnetars formed through core-collapse supernovae," Eftekhari said. "That doesn't appear to be the case here. While young, massive stars end their lives as core-collapse supernovae, we don't see any evidence of young stars in this galaxy. "Thanks to this new discovery, a picture is emerging that shows not all FRBs come from young stars. Maybe there is a subpopulation of FRBs that are associated with older systems."The researchers believe that just like FRB 20200120E, FRB 20240209A may have come from a globular cluster. This is significant because globular clusters are associated with other powerful events associated with older stars, including the collisions and mergers of two neutron stars or a white dwarf collapsing under its own gravity. Events that could also give rise to FRBs."A globular cluster origin for this repeating FRB is the most likely scenario to explain why this FRB is located outside its host galaxy," Shah said. "We do not know for a fact if there is a globular cluster present at the FRB position and have submitted a proposal to use the James Webb Space Telescope for follow-up observations of the FRB location. If yes, it would make this FRB only the second FRB known to reside in a globular cluster. "If not, we would have to consider alternative exotic scenarios for the FRB's origin.' Related Stories: — Astronomers have pinpointed the origin of mysterious repeating radio bursts from space — Where do fast radio bursts come from? Astronomers tie mysterious eruptions to massive galaxies — Mysterious fast radio bursts could be caused by asteroids slamming into dead stars "It's clear that there's still a lot of exciting discovery space when it comes to FRBs and that their environments could hold the key to unlocking their secrets," Eftekhari concluded. The team's research was detailed at the end of January in two papers published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
USA Today
27-01-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Fast radio burst detected in 'dead' galaxy raises questions about mysterious signals
With their extremely strong magnetic fields, magnetars have long been considered the prime culprit capable of producing the powerful bursts of energy known as fast radio bursts. The recent burst, called FRB 20240209A, throws that theory into question. Now, astronomers must consider that not all fast radio bursts come from younger galaxies and stars. The powerful burst was also traced to an unprecedented 130,000 light-years from its associated galaxy's center, where few other stars exist. Fast radio bursts, strong pulses of energy detected in radio-wave frequencies, may be a common phenomenon in the cosmos, but their enigmatic origins are something astronomers are only beginning to understand. Take, for instance, one such fast radio burst astronomers recently tracked to the distant outskirts of a long-dead galaxy. Based on what scientists thought they knew about fast radio bursts, referred to in astronomy as FRBs, this type of galaxy should not contain the kind of star long thought to produce such bursts. The surprising source of the repeating burst has baffled astronomers, who haven't considered that regions in which no stars are forming could produce such a radio flare. Detailed in two related studies led by researchers at Northwestern University and McGill University, the discovery "shatters assumptions that FRBs solely emanate from regions of active star formation," according to a press release announcing the research findings. The groundbreaking find, the researchers claim, could reshape our understanding of the universe and its most powerful and mysterious signals. "Just when you think you understand an astrophysical phenomenon, the universe turns around and surprises us,' Wen-fai Fong, an astronomer at Northwestern who was a senior author on both studies, said in a statement. 'This 'dialogue' with the universe is what makes our field of time-domain astronomy so incredibly thrilling.' What are fast radio bursts? Magnetars believed to be the cause Astronomers have been studying fast radio bursts from across the universe since 2007 when the first millisecond-long burst was discovered. The bright burst of electromagnetic radiation may be brief, but fast radio bursts are so powerful that they produce more energy than what our sun emits in an entire year, astronomers say. The flashes of radio energy emanate from distant galaxies, with the most distant and most powerful ever observed being found 8 billion light-years away and documented in a 2023 study. While many fast radio bursts are isolated events, those that repeat sporadically become of interest to astronomers, who set their sights on pinpointing those bursts to study them further. Observations have allowed astronomers to determine that the most likely culprit behind these cosmic flashes are magnetars. With their extremely strong magnetic fields, these neutron stars – small, dense collapsed cores of supergiant stars – are capable of producing the powerful bursts of energy that have been observed for years. Fast radio burst traced to 'dead' galaxy The recent burst, called FRB 20240209A, throws that theory into question. The flare was first detected in February 2024 with a newer radio telescope called the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME.) After it was initially spotted, the radio burst pulsed another 21 times through July at the same source – six flares of which were also detected by a smaller outrigger telescope located 37 miles away from CHIME's main station in British Columbia. Further observations allowed the team of astronomers to trace FRB 20240209A to a region of space associated with an 11.3-billion-year-old galaxy that no longer forms stars. The researchers believe the flares may have originated in a cluster of old stars orbiting the dead but "extremely luminous" galaxy – located 2 billion light-years from Earth and weighing more than 100 billion times the mass of the sun. What's perplexing, the researchers said, is that the magnetar in the galaxy should have disappeared long ago. The discovery forced the team to conclude that not all fast radio bursts come from younger galaxies and stars and that perhaps some originate from older systems, said Tarraneh Eftekhari, an astronomer at Northwestern who led one of the studies and coauthored the other. FRB traced unprecedented 130,000 light-years from host galaxy If the region believed to be the source of the flare is indeed a globular cluster, where old, dead stars are bound together by gravity, it would make the radio burst just the second ever to originate from such a location, said Vishwangi Shah, a doctoral student at McGill University in Montreal who co-authored both studies. But, in a first, the burst was traced to an unprecedented 130,000 light-years from its associated galaxy's center, where few other stars exist. 'This is not only the first FRB to be found outside a dead galaxy, but compared to all other FRBs, it's also the farthest from the galaxy it's associated with," Shah said in a statement. "The location of this FRB so far outside its host galaxy raises questions as to how such energetic events can occur in regions where no new stars are forming.' Further study of fast radio bursts needed, researchers say Astronomers have pinpointed the origins of about 50 fast radio bursts to date, but some have suggested that around 1,000 more are waiting to be uncovered. Understanding and studying these radioactive blasts, scientists have posited, should help astronomers better understand the universe, and measure missing matter between galaxies. Now that the latest research suggests fast radio bursts can originate from more environments than previously believed, the team is calling for more study. 'It's clear that there's still a lot of exciting discovery space when it comes to FRBs,' Eftekhari said in a statement, 'and that their environments could hold the key to unlocking their secrets.' Both studies were published Jan. 21 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Strange Signal Coming From Dead Galaxy, Scientists Say
Astronomers say they've detected a mysterious type of signal known as a fast radio burst coming from an ancient, dead galaxy billions of light years away. Figuratively speaking, it makes for one hell of a sign of life. The findings, documented in two studies published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, upends the long held belief that FRBs — extremely powerful pulses of energy — originate exclusively from star-forming regions of space, as dead galaxies no longer support the birth of new stars. Adding to the seeming improbability of the FRB's origin, the researchers believe that the signal's source came from the furthermost outskirts of the galaxy, about 130,000 light years from its center, with only moribund stars at the end of their stellar evolution for company. "This is both surprising and exciting, as FRBs are expected to originate inside galaxies, often in star-forming regions," said Vishwangi Shah, lead author of one of the studies and an astronomer at McGill University, said in a statement about the work. "The location of this FRB so far outside its host galaxy raises questions as to how such energetic events can occur in regions where no new stars are forming." Though they're often only milliseconds in duration, FRBs are so powerful at their source that a single pulse emits more energy than our Sun does in an entire year. What could cause such staggering outbursts? Astronomers have speculated that they originate from magnetars, a type of collapsed, extremely dense stellar object called a neutron star that maintains an unfathomably potent magnetic field, perhaps trillions of times stronger than Earth's. But that theory is now being challenged by this latest FRB, designed FRB 20240209A, because there are no young stars in the 11.3 billion year old galaxy that could form magnetars. Only extremely massive stars, which have short lifespans as a consequence of their size and thus would need to have been recently formed, possess enough mass to collapse into neutron stars in the first place. FRB 20240209A isn't the first to be found in such a remote location. In 2022, astronomers detected another signal originating from the outskirts of its galaxy, Messier 81, where no active star formation was taking place. "That event single-handedly halted the conventional train of thought and made us explore other progenitor scenarios for FRBs," said Wen-fai Fong, a coauthor of both studies and an astrophysicist at Northwestern University, in the statement. "Since then, no FRB had been seen like it, leading us to believe it was a one-off discovery — until now." Crucially, the M81 FRB was found in a dense conglomeration of stars called a globular cluster. Given their similar circumstances, it led the astronomers to believe that FRB 20240209A could be residing in a globular cluster, too. To confirm this hunch, they hope to use the James Webb Telescope to image the region of space around the FRB's origins. More on space: Scientists Intrigued by Planet With Long Tail
