A pulsar-like polarization angle swing from a nearby fast radio burst

Ryan Mckinven (), Mohit Bhardwaj, Tarraneh Eftekhari, Charles D. Kilpatrick, Aida Kirichenko, Arpan Pal, Amanda M. Cook, B. M. Gaensler, Utkarsh Giri, Victoria M. Kaspi, Daniele Michilli, Kenzie Nimmo, Aaron B. Pearlman, Ziggy Pleunis, Ketan R. Sand, Ingrid Stairs, Bridget C. Andersen, Shion Andrew, Kevin Bandura, Charanjot Brar, Tomas Cassanelli, Shami Chatterjee, Alice P. Curtin, Fengqiu Adam Dong, Gwendolyn Eadie, Emmanuel Fonseca, Adaeze L. Ibik, Jane F. Kaczmarek, Bikash Kharel, Mattias Lazda, Calvin Leung, Dongzi Li, Robert Main, Kiyoshi W. Masui, Juan Mena-Parra, Cherry Ng, Ayush Pandhi, Swarali Shivraj Patil, J. Xavier Prochaska, Masoud Rafiei-Ravandi, Paul Scholz, Vishwangi Shah, Kaitlyn Shin and Kendrick Smith
Additional contact information
Ryan Mckinven: McGill University
Mohit Bhardwaj: Carnegie Mellon University
Tarraneh Eftekhari: Northwestern University
Charles D. Kilpatrick: Northwestern University
Aida Kirichenko: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Arpan Pal: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Amanda M. Cook: University of Toronto
B. M. Gaensler: University of Toronto
Utkarsh Giri: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Victoria M. Kaspi: McGill University
Daniele Michilli: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kenzie Nimmo: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Aaron B. Pearlman: McGill University
Ziggy Pleunis: University of Toronto
Ketan R. Sand: McGill University
Ingrid Stairs: University of British Columbia
Bridget C. Andersen: McGill University
Shion Andrew: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kevin Bandura: Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Charanjot Brar: McGill University
Tomas Cassanelli: Universidad de Chile
Shami Chatterjee: Cornell University
Alice P. Curtin: McGill University
Fengqiu Adam Dong: University of British Columbia
Gwendolyn Eadie: University of Toronto
Emmanuel Fonseca: West Virginia University
Adaeze L. Ibik: University of Toronto
Jane F. Kaczmarek: Parkes Observatory
Bikash Kharel: West Virginia University
Mattias Lazda: University of Toronto
Calvin Leung: NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP)
Dongzi Li: Princeton University
Robert Main: McGill University
Kiyoshi W. Masui: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Juan Mena-Parra: University of Toronto
Cherry Ng: Université d’Orléans/CNRS
Ayush Pandhi: University of Toronto
Swarali Shivraj Patil: West Virginia University
J. Xavier Prochaska: University of California Santa Cruz
Masoud Rafiei-Ravandi: McGill University
Paul Scholz: University of Toronto
Vishwangi Shah: McGill University
Kaitlyn Shin: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kendrick Smith: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Nature, 2025, vol. 637, issue 8044, 43-47

Abstract: Abstract Fast radio bursts (FRBs) last for milliseconds and arrive at Earth from cosmological distances. Although their origins and emission mechanisms are unknown, their signals bear similarities with the much less luminous radio emission generated by pulsars within our Miky Way Galaxy1, with properties suggesting neutron star origins2,3. However, unlike pulsars, FRBs typically show minimal variability in their linear polarization position angle (PA) curves4. Even when marked PA evolution is present, their curves deviate significantly from the canonical shape predicted by the rotating vector model (RVM) of pulsars5. Here we report on FRB 20221022A, detected by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst project (CHIME/FRB) and localized to a nearby host galaxy (about 65 Mpc), MCG+14-02-011. This FRB shows a notable approximately 130° PA rotation over its about 2.5 ms burst duration, resembling the characteristic S-shaped evolution seen in many pulsars and some radio magnetars. The observed PA evolution supports magnetospheric origins6–8 over models involving distant shocks9–11, echoing similar conclusions drawn from tempo-polarimetric studies of some repeating FRBs12,13. The PA evolution is well described by the RVM and, although we cannot determine the inclination and magnetic obliquity because of the unknown period or duty cycle of the source, we exclude very short-period pulsars (for example, recycled millisecond pulsars) as the progenitor.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08184-4

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