Fast Radio Bursts

Fast Radio Bursts

News: Recently, scientists are trying to understand a new aspect of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), which are mysterious radio signals coming from distant galaxies.

Background:
• Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), which is scheduled to launch in the early 2030s, will aid in studying FRBs and mysterious radio signals.

What are FRBs?
• Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are transient radio pulses of length ranging from a fraction of a millisecond to 3 seconds, caused by some high-energy astrophysical process not yet fully understood.
• They are extremely energetic at their source, with the average FRB releasing as much energy in a millisecond as the Sun puts out in three days. However, the strength of the signal reaching Earth has been described as 1,000 times less than from a mobile phone on the Moon.
• The first FRB was discovered by Duncan Lorimer and his student David Narkevic in 2007, and it is therefore commonly referred to as the Lorimer Burst.

Significance:
• Understanding the Universe: Studying FRBs can help scientists learn more about the distribution of matter in the universe. The dispersion measure of FRBs, which is a measure of how much the burst’s radio waves are spread out as they travel through space, can provide information about the density of the interstellar or intergalactic medium through which the signal has traveled.
• Insights into Astrophysical Phenomena: FRBs can provide insights into distant and extreme astrophysical environments. They can indirectly determine how far apart things are. The properties of neutron stars and the conditions in regions near black holes can also be studied.
• Potential Cosmological Probes: FRBs hold the potential to be used as cosmological probes. They can be used to answer some long-standing questions about the universe.
• Unraveling the Mystery of Their Origin: The exact origins of FRBs are still not completely understood. There are several theories, including magnetars (highly magnetic neutron stars), supermassive black holes, or even extraterrestrial civilizations. With more observations, astronomers hope soon to find the origins of the FRBs.

About LISA:
• LISA stands for Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, and it is a collaborative project led by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• LISA is designed to serve as a space-based gravitational wave observatory, with the primary objective of detecting and studying gravitational waves.
• LISA achieves this by measuring the tiny variations in the distances between three spacecraft positioned in a triangular formation. These variations are caused by the passage of gravitational waves through space.
• This space-based observatory is expected to provide valuable insights into various cosmic events, including the mergers of massive black holes and other astrophysical phenomena.