25 new repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) have been discovered by an international research team that is studying these mysterious signals.
Energetically powerful pulses of radio emission come to us from outer space and so far their sources remain unknown. FRB signals were first recorded over a decade ago, and since then astronomers have identified more than 500 signals.
Some short radio bursts are repeated, reaching our planet at regular intervals. So far, 25 such signals have been known.
The new study describes 25 more previously unknown recurring FRBs, doubling their total number at once. In total, the researchers found 50 repeating FRBs, which indicates that in fact, many of the single signals recorded earlier may be repeating.
They just haven’t been observed long enough to detect a second burst from the same source.
Astronomers know that all FRBs are emitted from sources far outside the Milky Way. According to one hypothesis, the dense cores of once massive exploded stars with powerful magnetic fields can serve as sources of such signals.
However, repeating FRBs have different characteristics than single FRBs, suggesting that there may be other sources of these signals.
The observations were made by astronomers from around the world in the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME)/FRB collaboration. This collaboration specializes in finding mysterious signals.
The observations were carried out from 2019 to 2021. It has not yet been possible to trace the sources of the origin of the signals, it is only clear that they are located far from our planet.
The signals were not identical in their cyclicity. If some of them were repeated only once, then there were also such signals, bursts of which reached the Earth as many as 12 times.
The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal, is an important step in the study of FRBs and could lead to new discoveries in space science. The new data could help scientists better understand the origin of these mysterious signals and unravel many of the mysteries of the cosmos.