Researchers say they have found a new and unusual radio signal from afar Milky Way.
The signal is known as a fast radio burst, or FRB. These are the nods pulse radio waves that scientists say could come from our places in the Milky Way galaxy or elsewhere.
The first FRB was discovered in 2007. Since then, hundreds of signals have been observed by large telescopes in different parts of the world.
Astronomers are not sure what causes FRBs. But they speculated that neutron stars could produce signals. A neutron star is thought to form after the gravitational collapse of a larger star that explodes at the end of its life.
Researchers reporting the latest FRB say it’s unusual that the signal has been observed for much longer than others. Most FRBs last a few milliseconds. But the new standard is up to three seconds – about 1,000 times longer – the team explains in a statement.
The new FRB was observed in early December 2019 by a radio telescope called the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, or CANO. The telescope sits in the southwestern Canadian city of Kaleden. Several Canadian and American universities support the project.
CHIME was designed to observe radio waves from hydrogen gas in distant galaxies. But telescope operators say it’s also good for reading signals from FRBs.
Scientists say that the signal came from a distant galaxy several billion light-years from Earth. A light year is the distance of light in one year, about nine trillion kilometers.
The researchers said the recently observed FRB was also unusual in that it appeared to repeat continuously modelIt is like a heartbeat. Most FRBs observed in the past usually lasted a few thousandths of a second before disappearing.
It is Daniel Michilli postdoctoral candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He helped lead research for the University’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. He says there are not many things in the universe that give the kind of periodic signals observed by telescopes.
The team then believed that the unusual FRB could consist of two types of neutrons, a pulsar or a magnet. A pulsar is a fast neutron star. A massive neutron star is the strongest near “We think this signal is a new magnet or pulse.” steroidsMichilli said.
Theirs conclusion approximately where the signal was based on the pulsating and magnetic data observed in our galaxy. But the team should note that the unusual FRB appears more than a million times brighter than those observed in the Milky Way. Scientists are not sure why the FRB is so much brighter.
Astronomers said the new signal is the longest-lasting and brightest periodic pattern of FRBs previously observed. They want to catch a signal with additional observations. This could help to better understand where it came from and to learn more about the general nature of neutron stars.
“This” detection raises the question of what could cause this extreme signal, which we have never seen before, and how we can use this signal to study the universe,” Michilli said. “Future telescopes promise to find thousands of FRBs a month, and at that point we may find more of these periodic signals “
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from MIT News, Nature
The words in this story
Milky Way – no. the greatest number of stars in the universe
pulse – no. in a slight increase in the quantity of electricity, light, or sound
model – no. the regular and repeated way in which something is done
conclusion – no. judgment of reason
molecules – no. The drug is used to treat injuries and some athletes use it illegally to improve their performance in sports
to detect – v. to reveal or notice something
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