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- Scientists notice a FRB occurred shortly after a Gravitational Wave event
Every so often, a strange signal from outer space hits our detectors here on Earth.
Known as fast radio bursts (FRBs_, these signals are extremely short, just milliseconds in duration, and are detected only in radio wavelengths.Yet in those milliseconds, and in those wavelengths, they can discharge as much energy as 500 million Suns – and most of them have never been detected again.
What they are, and how they are generated, is something of a baffling mystery. But a new discovery could point to a previously unknown mechanism producing these powerful bursts of radiation.
On the 25th of April in 2019, the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) recorded a bright, non-repeating fast radio burst ( FRB).
Just 2.5 hours earlier, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) recorded a gravitational wave event, the collision as a binary neutron star reached the inevitable conclusion of its decaying orbit.
The FRB's location in the sky fell within the credible region of the gravitational wave event, and from a similar distance. The chance that the two events were unrelated, a team of astronomers led by Alexandra Moroianu of the University of Western Australia has determined, is extremely small.
I agree.Vanadium 50 said:I'm not impressed.
LIGO localizes well in time, but poorly in space.
CHIME alone sees hundreds of FRBs per year. World-wide, perhaps one every 12 hours. LIGO sees maybe 5 events/year, so we expect one or so to be within 2.4 hours. We see one within 2.5 hours.
This is just a ballpark estimate, but it shows that we need a more detailed analysis than "Golly, look at that." And that ignores the problems with a posteriori probabilities.
FRB stands for fast radio bursts, which are short, intense bursts of radio waves that originate from deep space. Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by the acceleration of massive objects. The link between FRBs and gravitational waves refers to the discovery that some FRBs are accompanied by gravitational waves, suggesting a common origin.
The link was first observed in 2019 by a team of scientists using the CHIME radio telescope in Canada. They detected an FRB that was followed by a gravitational wave signal detected by the LIGO and Virgo observatories. This was the first time that an FRB and gravitational wave event had been observed together, providing evidence of a connection between the two phenomena.
Scientists are baffled because the origins of both FRBs and gravitational waves are still largely unknown. While some theories suggest that both are caused by the same type of event, such as the collision of two neutron stars, the exact mechanisms are still not fully understood. The link between the two phenomena raises new questions and challenges for scientists to explore.
The link between FRBs and gravitational waves could provide valuable insights into the nature of these mysterious phenomena. It could also help scientists to better understand the universe and its origins. Additionally, the detection of gravitational waves from FRBs could potentially be used as a new tool for studying the universe and its evolution.
Scientists are continuing to observe and study FRBs and gravitational waves to gather more data and evidence of the link between the two. They are also using advanced technologies and collaborations between different observatories to better detect and analyze these events. Additionally, theoretical studies and simulations are being conducted to better understand the physical processes behind the link.