Astronomers Detect Fast Radio Bursts(FRB) from a merger of galaxies that occurred 8 billion years ago
Fast Radio Burst is a bright and brief burst of electromagnetic radiation seen in radio-wave frequencies, that usually last thousandths of a second.
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are caused by some high-energy astrophysical process that is not yet understood. They reach Earth from faraway galaxies. Astronomers estimate that the average Fast Radio Burst (FRB) releases as much energy in a millisecond as the Sun puts out in three days.
- FRBs were first discovered in 2007.
- Until now, the oldest-known such FRB dated to 5 billion years ago.
Detected using Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, a radio telescope in Australia.
FRBs are common events in the cosmos, however, as FRBs lose energy when they reach Earth, they are difficult to spot.
As FRBs travel through galaxies and in between them, they pass through hot gas, which causes their low-frequency radio waves to slow down more than those at higher frequencies, a phenomenon known as dispersion.
- This allows scientists to detect and measure ‘matter’ between galaxies that are currently invisible to us.
Causes of FRBs are not entirely known, however:
Stellar remnants, such as white dwarfs (dense, hot, compact star remnants), neutron stars (formed by massive star collapse), and colliding galaxies are considered sources of FRBs.
Significance:
assists in exploring the expansion of the Universe and even ‘weighs’ the Universe.