A repeating fast radio burst source localized to a nearby spiral galaxy

B. Marcote, K. Nimmo, J. W. T. Hessels (), S. P. Tendulkar, C. G. Bassa, Z. Paragi, A. Keimpema, M. Bhardwaj, R. Karuppusamy, V. M. Kaspi, C. J. Law, D. Michilli, K. Aggarwal, B. Andersen, A. M. Archibald, K. Bandura, G. C. Bower, P. J. Boyle, C. Brar, S. Burke-Spolaor, B. J. Butler, T. Cassanelli, P. Chawla, P. Demorest, M. Dobbs, E. Fonseca, U. Giri, D. C. Good, K. Gourdji, A. Josephy, A. Yu. Kirichenko, F. Kirsten, T. L. Landecker, D. Lang, T. J. W. Lazio, D. Z. Li, H.-H. Lin, J. D. Linford, K. Masui, J. Mena-Parra, A. Naidu, C. Ng, C. Patel, U.-L. Pen, Z. Pleunis, M. Rafiei-Ravandi, M. Rahman, A. Renard, P. Scholz, S. R. Siegel, K. M. Smith, I. H. Stairs, K. Vanderlinde and A. V. Zwaniga
Additional contact information
B. Marcote: Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE)
K. Nimmo: ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
J. W. T. Hessels: ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
S. P. Tendulkar: McGill University
C. G. Bassa: ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
Z. Paragi: Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE)
A. Keimpema: Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE)
M. Bhardwaj: McGill University
R. Karuppusamy: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
V. M. Kaspi: McGill University
C. J. Law: California Institute of Technology
D. Michilli: McGill University
K. Aggarwal: West Virginia University
B. Andersen: McGill University
A. M. Archibald: University of Amsterdam
K. Bandura: West Virginia University, Chestnut Ridge Research Building
G. C. Bower: Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics
P. J. Boyle: McGill University
C. Brar: McGill University
S. Burke-Spolaor: West Virginia University
B. J. Butler: National Radio Astronomy Observatory
T. Cassanelli: University of Toronto
P. Chawla: McGill University
P. Demorest: National Radio Astronomy Observatory
M. Dobbs: McGill University
E. Fonseca: McGill University
U. Giri: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
D. C. Good: University of British Columbia
K. Gourdji: University of Amsterdam
A. Josephy: McGill University
A. Yu. Kirichenko: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
F. Kirsten: Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory
T. L. Landecker: Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada
D. Lang: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
T. J. W. Lazio: California Institute of Technology
D. Z. Li: University of Toronto
H.-H. Lin: Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics
J. D. Linford: National Radio Astronomy Observatory
K. Masui: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
J. Mena-Parra: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A. Naidu: McGill University
C. Ng: University of Toronto
C. Patel: McGill University
U.-L. Pen: University of Toronto
Z. Pleunis: McGill University
M. Rafiei-Ravandi: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
M. Rahman: University of Toronto
A. Renard: University of Toronto
P. Scholz: University of Toronto
S. R. Siegel: McGill University
K. M. Smith: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
I. H. Stairs: University of British Columbia
K. Vanderlinde: University of Toronto
A. V. Zwaniga: McGill University

Nature, 2020, vol. 577, issue 7789, 190-194

Abstract: Abstract Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief, bright, extragalactic radio flashes1,2. Their physical origin remains unknown, but dozens of possible models have been postulated3. Some FRB sources exhibit repeat bursts4–7. Although over a hundred FRB sources have been discovered8, only four have been localized and associated with a host galaxy9–12, and just one of these four is known to emit repeating FRBs9. The properties of the host galaxies, and the local environments of FRBs, could provide important clues about their physical origins. The first known repeating FRB, however, was localized to a low-metallicity, irregular dwarf galaxy, and the apparently non-repeating sources were localized to higher-metallicity, massive elliptical or star-forming galaxies, suggesting that perhaps the repeating and apparently non-repeating sources could have distinct physical origins. Here we report the precise localization of a second repeating FRB source6, FRB 180916.J0158+65, to a star-forming region in a nearby (redshift 0.0337 ± 0.0002) massive spiral galaxy, whose properties and proximity distinguish it from all known hosts. The lack of both a comparably luminous persistent radio counterpart and a high Faraday rotation measure6 further distinguish the local environment of FRB 180916.J0158+65 from that of the single previously localized repeating FRB source, FRB 121102. This suggests that repeating FRBs may have a wide range of luminosities, and originate from diverse host galaxies and local environments.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1866-z

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