Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are short-lived radio signals of extragalactic origin, usually lasting a few milliseconds. So far, scientists have not been able to find out how they form. There are only unproven hypotheses. FBRs were first discovered relatively recently, in 2007, and since then astronomers have observed hundreds of them.
The fast radio burst FRB 20220610A was first detected on June 10, 2022. It is one of the most powerful and distant signals ever observed by astronomers. The signal took 8 billion light years to travel from its source to Earth. Recall that light in a vacuum travels 9.46 trillion kilometers in a year.
FRB 20220610A lasted less than a millisecond, but was four times more energetic than any previous signal. According to research published in October 2023 in the journal Science, the flare released the equivalent of 30 years of energy emissions from our Sun. FRBs are difficult to observe because they have an extremely short lifetime.
Photo
Hubble Space Telescope image showing the host galaxy of an exceptionally powerful fast radio burst, FRB 20220610A. /NASA, ESA, STScI, Alexa Gordon (Northwest) /public domain
Radio telescopes are useful for tracking the FBR. To trace the path of this particular one, astronomers used the Australian Square Kilometer Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope located in Western Australia and the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory in Chile. The results of this research were presented on Tuesday 9 January during the 243rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in New Orleans.
Astronomers traced the entire path of this particular FBR, which led them to the giant celestial mass. Initially, they thought it was an irregular galaxy or a group of three interacting galaxies. Using images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, they determined that the extremely energetic fast radio burst came from a group of at least seven galaxies. They are close enough together that they can all fit into the Milky Way.
Despite the discovery of hundreds of FRB events, only a few of them have been localized in their host galaxies. Of this small faction, only a few came from the dense galactic environment, but none had ever been seen in such a close-knit group. So his birthplace is really rare.
Study co-author Yuxin Vic Dong said in a statement.
Scientists believe the tightly packed galaxies are interacting and may even merge, which could be the source of a fast radio burst. Thanks to the possibilities offered by the Hubble Space Telescope, it was possible to confirm that it is not actually a monolithic galaxy, but a group of galaxies.
According to study co-author Wen-fai Fong, professor of physics and astronomy, such a compact group of galaxies is unique and is an example of “the densest galactic-scale structure known to us.” Until now, the sources of fast radio bursts have been associated with isolated galaxies. However, over time they have also been discovered in globular clusters, and now in a compact group of galaxies.
video
The women take a rifle. They want to be ready for Deutsche Welle
2024-01-14 21:38:00
#mysterious #signal #traveled #billion #light #years #tracked #sender