Astronomers studying the origins of enigmatic fast radio bursts (FRBs) have made a groundbreaking discovery that could transform our understanding of the universe's most powerful and mysterious signals. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst (CHIME/FRB) collaboration has pinpointed the location on the sky of a repeating FRB, known as FRB 20240209A, outside a dead galaxy, a finding unprecedented in FRB science. The researchers believe the FRB may have originated in a cluster of old, dead stars orbiting the dead galaxy.
"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. The FRB's location is surprising and raises questions about how such energetic events can occur in regions where no new stars are forming," said Vishwangi Shah, PhD student in the Department of Physics and the Trottier Space Institute, and the corresponding author of a recent study published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.
FRBs are intense, millisecond-long flashes of radio energy emanating from galaxies millions of light years away. While most are isolated events, some repeat sporadically, making them key targets for efforts to pinpoint their exact location on the sky. Using one of the newly operational CHIME/FRB Outrigger telescopes, which enhance the capabilities of the main CHIME telescope located in Penticton, B.C., astronomers have placed FRB 20240209A in a region of space associated with a "dead" galaxy, one that is no longer forming stars.
"This result challenges existing theories that tie FRB origins to phenomena in star-forming galaxies," said Shah. "The source could be in a globular cluster, a dense region of old, dead stars outside the galaxy. If confirmed, it would make FRB 20240209A only the second FRB linked to a globular cluster." She added that the other FRB originating in a globular cluster was associated with a live galaxy.
The discovery underscores that FRBs occur in diverse environments and pushes scientists to reconsider established models.
"This work provides vital clues for theorists. Any model explaining FRBs must account for their presence in these extreme and unexpected environments," she said.
This breakthrough marks the first pinpointing of an FRB on the sky using a CHIME/FRB Outrigger, in this case, the one located in Princeton, B.C. With the location of many more FRBs expected to be pinpointed soon, astronomers are poised to uncover even more information about these enigmatic cosmic bursts.
"This is proof that the Outriggers are set to revolutionize our understanding of FRBs," said Shah. "We're at the forefront of solving one of astronomy's biggest mysteries."
"This discovery challenges our previous understanding of FRBS, and highlights the significant role that their environments play in unraveling their origins," said Tarraneh Eftekhari, co-author and NASA Einstein Fellow at Northwestern's Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA).
About the study
A repeating fast radio burst source in the outskirts of a quiescent galaxy by Vishwangi Shah et al., was published in Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation funded the construction of the Outriggers. The Canada Foundation for Innovation and provinces of Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia funded the construction of CHIME. The Trottier Space Institute is funded by a gift from the Trottier Family Foundation.
