The giant Chinese telescope “FAST” detects a flashing arc in a fast radio burst
Astronomers discovered a flash arc in the spectrum of a fast radio burst for the first time using the Chinese spherical radio telescope “FAST”, which has a diameter of 500 meters, which is the largest and most sensitive single-dish radio telescope in the world.
It is noteworthy that fast radio bursts are mysterious radio flashes that last only a few milliseconds and which were confirmed in 2016 to originate from the universe. There is still no explanation for its origins.
An international group led by researchers from the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences provided an analysis of the interstellar flash of the fast radio burst 20220912A during its highly active episode in 2022.
According to a recent study published in the journal “China Science: Physics, Mechanics and Astronomy,” Sagittarius revealed that the flash may be caused by the ionized interstellar medium or the material that fills the space between stars.
This discovery opens a new approach to examining the medium of fast radio bursts and their possible orbital motion.
The researchers also reported their method for arc flash detection, which can be generally applied to sources with irregularly spaced bursts or pulses, according to the study.
James Cordes of Cornell University said that the method used in this study could help find the host galaxy of the fast radio burst and the interstellar medium in the Milky Way.
The “FAST” telescope began official operation in January 2020, and is located in a deep, naturally rounded karst depression in Guizhou Province, southwest China. It is believed to be the most sensitive radio telescope in the world.
Source: websites