Preferential occurrence of fast radio bursts in massive star-forming galaxies

Kritti Sharma (), Vikram Ravi, Liam Connor, Casey Law, Stella Koch Ocker, Myles Sherman, Nikita Kosogorov, Jakob Faber, Gregg Hallinan, Charlie Harnach, Greg Hellbourg, Rick Hobbs, David Hodge, Mark Hodges, James Lamb, Paul Rasmussen, Jean Somalwar, Sander Weinreb, David Woody, Joel Leja, Shreya Anand, Kaustav Kashyap Das, Yu-Jing Qin, Sam Rose, Dillon Z. Dong, Jessie Miller and Yuhan Yao
Additional contact information
Kritti Sharma: California Institute of Technology
Vikram Ravi: California Institute of Technology
Liam Connor: California Institute of Technology
Casey Law: California Institute of Technology
Stella Koch Ocker: California Institute of Technology
Myles Sherman: California Institute of Technology
Nikita Kosogorov: California Institute of Technology
Jakob Faber: California Institute of Technology
Gregg Hallinan: California Institute of Technology
Charlie Harnach: California Institute of Technology
Greg Hellbourg: California Institute of Technology
Rick Hobbs: California Institute of Technology
David Hodge: California Institute of Technology
Mark Hodges: California Institute of Technology
James Lamb: California Institute of Technology
Paul Rasmussen: California Institute of Technology
Jean Somalwar: California Institute of Technology
Sander Weinreb: California Institute of Technology
David Woody: California Institute of Technology
Joel Leja: The Pennsylvania State University
Shreya Anand: California Institute of Technology
Kaustav Kashyap Das: California Institute of Technology
Yu-Jing Qin: California Institute of Technology
Sam Rose: California Institute of Technology
Dillon Z. Dong: California Institute of Technology
Jessie Miller: California Institute of Technology
Yuhan Yao: California Institute of Technology

Nature, 2024, vol. 635, issue 8037, 61-66

Abstract: Abstract Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration events detected from beyond the Milky Way. FRB emission characteristics favour highly magnetized neutron stars, or magnetars, as the sources1, as evidenced by FRB-like bursts from a galactic magnetar2,3, and the star-forming nature of FRB host galaxies4,5. However, the processes that produce FRB sources remain unknown6. Although galactic magnetars are often linked to core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe)7, it is uncertain what determines which supernovae result in magnetars. The galactic environments of FRB sources can be used to investigate their progenitors. Here, we present the stellar population properties of 30 FRB host galaxies discovered by the Deep Synoptic Array (DSA-110). Our analysis shows a marked deficit of low-mass FRB hosts compared with the occurrence of star formation in the Universe, implying that FRBs are a biased tracer of star formation, preferentially selecting massive star-forming galaxies. This bias may be driven by galaxy metallicity, which is positively correlated with stellar mass8. Metal-rich environments may favour the formation of magnetar progenitors through stellar mergers9,10, as higher-metallicity stars are less compact and more likely to fill their Roche lobes, leading to unstable mass transfer. Although massive stars do not have convective interiors to generate strong magnetic fields by dynamo11, merger remnants are thought to have the requisite internal magnetic-field strengths to result in magnetars11,12. The preferential occurrence of FRBs in massive star-forming galaxies suggests that a core-collapse supernova of merger remnants preferentially forms magnetars.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08074-9

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