A Decade and a Half of Fast Radio Burst Observations
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) have a story which has been told and retold many times over the past few years as they have sparked excitement and controversy since their pioneering discovery in 2007. The FRB class encompasses a number of microsecond- to millisecond-duration pulses occurring at Galactic to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Universe |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1997/7/11/453 |
| _version_ | 1797508290640347136 |
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| author | Manisha Caleb Evan Keane |
| author_facet | Manisha Caleb Evan Keane |
| author_sort | Manisha Caleb |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fast radio bursts (FRBs) have a story which has been told and retold many times over the past few years as they have sparked excitement and controversy since their pioneering discovery in 2007. The FRB class encompasses a number of microsecond- to millisecond-duration pulses occurring at Galactic to cosmological distances with energies spanning about 8 orders of magnitude. While most FRBs have been observed as singular events, a small fraction of them have been observed to repeat over various timescales leading to an apparent dichotomy in the population. ∼50 unique progenitor theories have been proposed, but no consensus has emerged for their origin(s). However, with the discovery of an FRB-like pulse from the Galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154, magnetar engine models are the current leading theory. Overall, FRB pulses exhibit unique characteristics allowing us to probe line-of-sight magnetic field strengths, inhomogeneities in the intergalactic/interstellar media, and plasma turbulence through an assortment of extragalactic and cosmological propagation effects. Consequently, they are formidable tools to study the Universe. This review follows the progress of the field between 2007 and 2020 and presents the science highlights of the radio observations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:00:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3ed8e200a8c4469d891a35ead535d868 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-1997 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:00:01Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Universe |
| spelling | doaj.art-3ed8e200a8c4469d891a35ead535d8682023-11-23T01:50:58ZengMDPI AGUniverse2218-19972021-11-0171145310.3390/universe7110453A Decade and a Half of Fast Radio Burst ObservationsManisha Caleb0Evan Keane1Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UKCentre for Astronomy, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 TK33 Galway, IrelandFast radio bursts (FRBs) have a story which has been told and retold many times over the past few years as they have sparked excitement and controversy since their pioneering discovery in 2007. The FRB class encompasses a number of microsecond- to millisecond-duration pulses occurring at Galactic to cosmological distances with energies spanning about 8 orders of magnitude. While most FRBs have been observed as singular events, a small fraction of them have been observed to repeat over various timescales leading to an apparent dichotomy in the population. ∼50 unique progenitor theories have been proposed, but no consensus has emerged for their origin(s). However, with the discovery of an FRB-like pulse from the Galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154, magnetar engine models are the current leading theory. Overall, FRB pulses exhibit unique characteristics allowing us to probe line-of-sight magnetic field strengths, inhomogeneities in the intergalactic/interstellar media, and plasma turbulence through an assortment of extragalactic and cosmological propagation effects. Consequently, they are formidable tools to study the Universe. This review follows the progress of the field between 2007 and 2020 and presents the science highlights of the radio observations.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1997/7/11/453radio astronomyfast radio bursttransient radio sources |
| spellingShingle | Manisha Caleb Evan Keane A Decade and a Half of Fast Radio Burst Observations Universe radio astronomy fast radio burst transient radio sources |
| title | A Decade and a Half of Fast Radio Burst Observations |
| title_full | A Decade and a Half of Fast Radio Burst Observations |
| title_fullStr | A Decade and a Half of Fast Radio Burst Observations |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Decade and a Half of Fast Radio Burst Observations |
| title_short | A Decade and a Half of Fast Radio Burst Observations |
| title_sort | decade and a half of fast radio burst observations |
| topic | radio astronomy fast radio burst transient radio sources |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1997/7/11/453 |
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