论文
论文标题:A bimodal burst energy distribution of a repeating fast radio burst source
作者:Li, D., Wang, P., Zhu, W. W., Zhang, B., Zhang, X. X., Duan, R., Zhang, Y. K., Feng, Y., Tang, N. Y., Chatterjee, S., Cordes, J. M., Cruces, M., Dai, S., Gajjar, V., Hobbs, G., Jin, C., Kramer, M., Lorimer, D. R., Miao, C. C., Niu, C. H., Niu, J. R., Pan, Z. C., Qian, L., Spitler, L., Werthimer, D., Zhang, G. Q., Wang, F. Y., Xie, X. Y., Yue, Y. L., Zhang, L., Zhi, Q. J., Zhu, Y.
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期刊:Nature
发表时间:2021/10/13
数字识别码:10.1038/s41586-021-03878-5
摘要:The event rate, energy distribution and time-domain behaviour of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) contain essential information regarding their physical nature and central engine, which are as yet unknown1,2. As the first precisely localized source, FRB 121102 (refs. 3,4,5) has been extensively observed and shows non-Poisson clustering of bursts over time and a power-law energy distribution6,7,8. However, the extent of the energy distribution towards the fainter end was not known. Here we report the detection of 1,652 independent bursts with a peak burst rate of 122 h−1, in 59.5 hours spanning 47 days. A peak in the isotropic equivalent energy distribution is found to be approximately 4.8 × 1037 erg at 1.25 GHz, below which the detection of bursts is suppressed. The burst energy distribution is bimodal, and well characterized by a combination of a log-normal function and a generalized Cauchy function. The large number of bursts in hour-long spans allows sensitive periodicity searches between 1 ms and 1,000 s. The non-detection of any periodicity or quasi-periodicity poses challenges for models involving a single rotating compact object. The high burst rate also implies that FRBs must be generated with a high radiative efficiency, disfavouring emission mechanisms with large energy requirements or contrived triggering conditions.
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所属学科:
天文学
图片来源:科技日报
快速射电暴(fast radio burst,FRB)是宇宙中最大的谜团之一。FRB在2007年首次被发现,14年来,无数天文学家将目光转向FRB,希望以它为线索揭开更多宇宙奥秘。而昨天在《自然》杂志发表的一篇论文中,中国科学家领衔的国际研究团队用FAST发现了1652次快速射电暴,超过了以往所有文献记载的数量总和。FAST此次观测成果,或许能改变天文学家探索FRB的方式。
编译 | 王昱
审校 | 石云雷
2007年,FRB首次被发现时,天文学家对它可能是什么一无所知。从未有任何理论预言过快速射电暴(fast radio burst,FRB)的存在。这种来自宇宙深处的暴发可以在几毫秒内闪现又消失,每一例FRB释放的能量都相当于太阳一年释放出的能量之和。每天都会有多个FRB从各个方向向地球奔来,但它们大多都是单独发生的,难以捕捉。
Li, D., Wang, P., Zhu, W.W. et al. A bimodal burst energy distribution of a repeating fast radio burst source. Nature 598, 267–271 (2021).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03878-5