Russian astronomers uncover rare deep space radio burst
Russian astronomers, utilising the Large Phased Array (LPA) radio telescope, have detected a bright pulse at a frequency of 111 MHz. They have detailed their observations in a scientific article published on the electronic scientific preprint archive, arXiv. The researchers explain that the mysterious signal is most likely a so-called extragalactic fast radio burst.
A team of Russian astronomers, working as part of the Pushchino Multibeams Pulsar Search (PUMPS) project and using the Large Phased Array (LPA) radio telescope situated in Pushchino, Russia, has detected an intriguing signal from space. It is most likely one of the so-called fast radio bursts (FRB), also known as extragalactic fast radio signals.
Mysterious signals from space
Fast radio bursts are brief, intense bursts of radio waves originating from space. They last just a few milliseconds, but within that time, they can release as much energy as the Sun produces over several days. FRBs are one of the biggest mysteries of modern astrophysics, as their exact origin and the mechanism generating these signals are not fully understood. Most FRBs are detected as one-time events, although there are also so-called repeating FRBs that emit bursts multiple times from the same source.
According to the Phys service, the FRB 20190203 signal spotted by the Russians lasted for 0.211 seconds, and its dispersion measure suggested an extragalactic origin. Furthermore, the signal was said to come from a distance of about 2.3 billion light years. According to Russian astronomers, the properties of FRB 20190203 indicate that it is one of the most powerful fast radio bursts. Additionally, it is the first burst discovered within the PUMPS project and the second fast radio burst detected at such a low frequency (111 MHz).
Astronomers believe that the source of the signal is most likely related to synchrotron radiation from young magnetars. As the European Southern Observatory explains, magnetars are peculiar, super-dense remnants of a supernova explosion with a very strong magnetic field. They are often called the strongest magnets in the Universe. Their power is a million times greater than magnets found on Earth. Magnetars can generate radio pulses during specific magnetic activities.
