The research team lead by Jodrell Bank astronomers has detected a cyclic pattern in the fast radio bursts (FRB) for the second time using the Lovell Telescope at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of Manchester. But what are these Fast Radio Bursts which have always puzzled the scientists since it’s discovery in 2007?
Fast Radio Bursts are very bright radio wave bursts that last only for a few milliseconds and are produced by unidentified sources in the universe. It was initially thought to be originating from the merging of neutron stars or even from our far-away neighbours, ‘THE ALIENS!’ whose existence is not yet confirmed. The FRBs are a mystery that is unsolved till now. But by this current observation of repeating FRB 121102, it is expected that this mystery is about to unwind. Thanks to the four-year observation by the Jodrell Bank astronomers.
The periodicity of FRB 121102 was noted after observing and analyzing 32 such bursts recorded by the telescope. The FRB 121102 is only the second such repeating FRB recorded with radio bursts observed in a window lasting approximately 90 days followed by a silent period of 67 days. Then it repeats every 157 days. The first repeating radio burst (FRB180916.J10158+56) recently discovered by the CHIME telescope in Canada repeats after a period of 16 days whereas for FRB121102 it is about 157 days, almost 10 times greater. This discovery is significant because it throws light on the sources from which these radio bursts are produced. The periodicity of these radio burst may mean that they are produced because of the orbital motion of a massive star, a neutron star, or a black hole. The repeating nature of these FRBs can be due to the precession of a highly magnetized neutron star. But with the currently available data, it is difficult to accurately explain the 157 day precession period of FRB 121102.
Further studies by continuous observation and data analysis are required to get a much clearer idea about these repeating FRBs and its origins.
Source: https://www.manchester.ac.uk
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