Fast radio bursts in the Milky Way

On November 4, 2020, three papers were published in Nature, the first to observe rapid radio bursts in the Milky Way [2, 3, 4].

Fast radio bursts (FRBS) are the strongest radio bursts in the known universe. Their short duration, enormous energy release, and varied origins make them one of the great mysteries of modern astronomy. The most urgent task in this field is to find the object corresponding to the fast radio burst.

These three new observations confirm that extremely magnetic neutron stars (magnetars) are one of the sources of fast radio bursts. This is the first time astronomers have observed a fast radio burst in the Milky Way. It is also the only object that has been observed to produce fast radio bursts.

China’s third eye

It is worth mentioning that the third paper is from a Chinese team, and the first author is Dr. Lin Lin from Beijing Normal University. The observation results are from China’s radio telescope (FAST), the Celestial Eye. This also shows that Chinese astronomers can make world-class research results with Chinese telescopes.