Scientists Consider Cause of Fast Radio Bursts in Space
2022-06-20
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1In 2007, scientists at West Virginia University first identified an unusual intense burst of radio waves from space.
2Since then, these fast radio bursts, or FRBs, have been a mystery to astronomers.
3They only knew that FRBs are pulses of radio waves and that FRBs come from places within our galaxy, the Milky Way, and other galaxies.
4Recently though, researchers identified an FRB that was first found in 2019 with the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, called FAST. It is in the Guizhou Province in China.
5The FRB was studied more using the VLA telescope in the state of New Mexico in the U.S.
6The FRB is in a very small galaxy, which is almost 3 billion light-years from Earth.
7A light year is the distance light travels in one year.
8Scientists believe that extreme objects may release these fast radio bursts.
9These objects could include unusual kinds of stars such as a neutron star.
10A neutron star is the center of a large star at the end of its life cycle that explodes as a supernova.
11Another is a magnetar, which is a neutron star with a very strong magnetic field.
12And another possible cause of an FRB is a black hole eating a nearby star.
13Casey Law is an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology.
14He was co-writer of a recent study of the 2019 FRB that was published in Nature.
15He said FRBs are quick flashes of radio energy that turn on and off for only a millisecond.
16They can be observed across the universe.
17Some objects produce a storm of repeated FRBs, and some only burst once.
18The 2019 FRB repeats. Weaker radio signals continue between the bursts, so it appears to be always "on."
19Most known FRBs, nearly 500 of them, do not repeat.
20Astronomers think that the FRB described in the Nature study is only in the beginning of its life.
21It is still surrounded by thick material from the supernova explosion that created a neutron star.
22The scientists suspect that the repeating bursts come from younger FRBs.
23Di Li is the chief FAST telescope scientist and with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.
24He co-wrote the Nature study.
25He said, "We still call fast radio bursts a cosmic mystery and rightfully so."
26Although FRBs are still not completely understood, the new repeating FRB may help scientist discover the cause of radio bursts.
27Years ago, scientists faced a similar mystery with gamma-ray bursts.
28These events are now believed to result from the death of very large stars, or from neutron stars or magnetars joining to form a black hole.
29But researchers have a lot more to learn about FRBs.
30"We know more and more about the phenomenon, where the sources live, how often they burst...However, we are still chasing for that golden measurement that will give us a definitive answer to what causes them," Law said.
31I'm Faith Pirlo.
1In 2007, scientists at West Virginia University first identified an unusual intense burst of radio waves from space. Since then, these fast radio bursts, or FRBs, have been a mystery to astronomers. 2They only knew that FRBs are pulses of radio waves and that FRBs come from places within our galaxy, the Milky Way, and other galaxies. 3Recently though, researchers identified an FRB that was first found in 2019 with the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, called FAST. It is in the Guizhou Province in China. The FRB was studied more using the VLA telescope in the state of New Mexico in the U.S. The FRB is in a very small galaxy, which is almost 3 billion light-years from Earth. A light year is the distance light travels in one year. 4Scientists believe that extreme objects may release these fast radio bursts. These objects could include unusual kinds of stars such as a neutron star. A neutron star is the center of a large star at the end of its life cycle that explodes as a supernova. Another is a magnetar, which is a neutron star with a very strong magnetic field. And another possible cause of an FRB is a black hole eating a nearby star. 5Casey Law is an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology. He was co-writer of a recent study of the 2019 FRB that was published in Nature. He said FRBs are quick flashes of radio energy that turn on and off for only a millisecond. They can be observed across the universe. Some objects produce a storm of repeated FRBs, and some only burst once. 6The 2019 FRB repeats. Weaker radio signals continue between the bursts, so it appears to be always "on." Most known FRBs, nearly 500 of them, do not repeat. 7Astronomers think that the FRB described in the Nature study is only in the beginning of its life. It is still surrounded by thick material from the supernova explosion that created a neutron star. The scientists suspect that the repeating bursts come from younger FRBs. 8Di Li is the chief FAST telescope scientist and with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. He co-wrote the Nature study. He said, "We still call fast radio bursts a cosmic mystery and rightfully so." 9Although FRBs are still not completely understood, the new repeating FRB may help scientist discover the cause of radio bursts. Years ago, scientists faced a similar mystery with gamma-ray bursts. These events are now believed to result from the death of very large stars, or from neutron stars or magnetars joining to form a black hole. 10But researchers have a lot more to learn about FRBs. 11"We know more and more about the phenomenon, where the sources live, how often they burst...However, we are still chasing for that golden measurement that will give us a definitive answer to what causes them," Law said. 12I'm Faith Pirlo. 13Will Dunham wrote this article for Reuters. Faith Pirlo adapted it for Learning English. 14__________________________________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16astronomer -n. a scientist who studies stars, planets and objects in outer space 17pulse - n. a short increase in an amount of electricity, light or sound 18light year - n. the distance light travels in a year, about 9.5 trillion kilometers 19supernova - n. a star that has exploded, strongly increasing its brightness for a period of time 20black hole - n. a very dense area in space where the gravitational pull is so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape 21cosmic - adj. of or relating to the universe or outer space 22phenomenon - n. an event or interesting happening that can be observed and studied and that is not easy to explain or understand 23definitive - adj. clear, sure and not likely to change 24What do you think of fast radio bursts? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.