Astronomers have detected an unusual and recurring signal from a distant galaxy, in the form of a burst of radio waves, in a pattern resembling a heartbeat.
Scientists say it is a fast radio explosion, or powerful and mysterious energy explosions that come from the depths of space, which scientists might not understand or analyze. According to the scientists, these explosions are strange because they are not close to the usual speed, as they last for up to three seconds instead of the milliseconds that usually occur in FRBs.
A fast radio burst is defined as a high-energy astronomical phenomenon of unknown origin that manifests as a transient radio pulse lasting only a few milliseconds.
In the new discovery, scientists saw bright flashes appear periodically, of the kind rarely found in the universe, and the bursts of energy repeat every 0.2 seconds.
“There aren’t many things in the universe that emit strictly periodic signals,” said postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research Danielle Micheli. Similar to a lighthouse,” and added: “We believe that this new signal might be a magnetic star or a pulsar.”
The signal is called FRB 20191221A, and it is currently the longest-running FRB signal, with the clearest periodic pattern detected to date.
Its source lies in a distant galaxy several billion light-years from Earth, and scientists have considered this exact source a mystery, although astronomers suspect the signal might be emitted by a radio pulsar or magnetar.
The team hopes to discover more periodic signals from this source, which can then be used as an astrophysical clock. For example, the frequency of the bursts and how they change as the source moves away from Earth can be used to measure the expansion rate of the universe.
The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (Chime) in December 2019 picked up a signal from a potential fast radio stream, which immediately caught the attention of researcher Micheli as he scanned the incoming data, commenting: “That was unusual.”
“It wasn’t very long, and lasted regarding three seconds, but there were remarkably precise periodic peaks, emitting every millisecond,” said Mitchley. The signal itself is periodic.
