Scientists Uncover Source of Mysterious Radio Signal that Took Eight Billion Years to Reach Earth
During the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in New Orleans, Louisiana, scientists presented new research that revealed the source of the most distinct and ancient fast radio burst (FRB) ever detected. The FRB, dubbed 20220610A, was found to have originated from a group of at least seven galaxies, located halfway back to the Big Bang.
Astronomers led by Northwestern University in the United States were able to trace the FRB back to the group of galaxies using images captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The researchers believe that the galaxies are interacting with each other and may be on their way to merging. This rare interaction among galaxies can create the conditions that trigger an FRB.
Lead researcher Alexa Gordon of Northwestern University stated, “Without the Hubble’s imaging, it would remain a mystery, whether this FRB originated from one monolithic galaxy or some interacting system. It’s these types of environments – these weird ones – that drive us toward a better understanding of the mystery of FRBs.”
Fast radio bursts produce more energy in one quick burst than the Sun emits in one year. FRB 20220610A, in particular, was the most distant fast radio burst ever recorded and was four times more energetic than closer FRBs. Despite the discovery of up to 1,000 FRBs since 2007, the sources behind most of them remain unknown.
The study’s co-author, Wen-fai Fong, noted, “There are some signs that the group members are interacting. In other words, they could be trading materials or possibly on a path to merging. These groups of galaxies (called compact groups) are incredibly rare environments in the universe and are the densest galaxy-scale structures we know of.”
The new research challenges previous scientific models of FRBs and raises questions about the origins of these mysterious radio signals. As scientists continue to unravel the mysteries of the universe, this discovery marks a significant step forward in understanding the enigmatic nature of fast radio bursts.