Astronomers have discovered the origin of a powerful and mysterious radio signal

(CNN) — Astronomers have identified one of the most powerful and distant fast radio bursts ever detected in its unusual cosmic origin: a strange group of “bubble” galaxies. The unexpected discovery could shed more light on the causes of mysterious bursts of radio waves that have puzzled scientists for years.

The intense signal, called FRB 20220610A, was first detected and passed through on June 10, 2022. 8 billion light years to go to earth. A light year The distance light travels in one year, or 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers).

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are intense bursts of millisecond radio waves of unknown origin. The first FRB was discovered in 2007, and since then hundreds of these fast cosmic flashes have been detected from distant points in the universe.

This particular fast radio burst lasted less than a millisecond, but was four times more energetic than previously detected FRBs. The explosion released the equivalent of our Sun's energy output in 30 years, one step Preliminary study Released in October.

Many FRBs emit super-bright radio waves that last only a few milliseconds before fading, making them difficult to observe.

Radio telescopes have proven useful in tracking the paths of fast cosmic flashes, so the researchers used the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder, or ASKAP, a radio telescope in Western Australia, and the European Southern Observatory's Largest Telescope in Chile. An explosion ensued.

These observations led scientists to a giant skyspot, which was initially thought to be either a single irregular galaxy or a group of three interacting galaxies.

Now, astronomers have used images from the Hubble Space Telescope to reveal that the fast radio burst came from a group of at least seven galaxies that all fit within the Milky Way.

The findings were presented Tuesday at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in New Orleans.

An unusual constellation

According to the researchers, the galaxies in the group appear to be interacting and may even be in the process of merging, which may have triggered the fast radio burst.

“Without the Hubble images, it would have been a mystery whether this FRB originated in a monolithic galaxy or some kind of interacting system,” said Alexa Gordon, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in astronomy in the Faculty of Astronomy. Arts and Sciences Report at Northwestern University.

“These kinds of environments — these strange ones — push us toward a better understanding of the mystery of FRBs.”

The group of galaxies known as the Compact Group is exceptional and an example of “the densest galaxy-scale structures we know,” said Wen-Fai Fang, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern and Gordon's advisor. .

When the galaxies interact, they can trigger bursts of star formation, which may be associated with the explosion, Gordon said.

Fast radio bursts have been detected primarily in isolated galaxies, but astronomers have also detected them in globular clusters, and now, in a small group, Gordon explains.

“We should continue to find these kinds of FRBs in all kinds of environments, both near and far,” he said.

A study of the origin of fast radio bursts

Nearly 1,000 fast radio bursts have been detected since their initial discovery two decades ago, but astronomers are not clear on what causes them.

However, many agree that smaller objects such as black holes or neutron stars may be dense remnants of exploded stars. The Magnetas, or highly magnetized starsAccording to recent research, fast radio bursts may be responsible.

Understanding the origins of fast radio bursts will help astronomers better understand the underlying cause of what sets them off across the universe.

“Although hundreds of FRB events have been discovered to date, only a fraction of them have been identified with their host galaxies,” study co-author Yuxin Vic Dong said in a statement. “Within that small area, only a few came from dense interstellar environments, but no one had ever seen such a small group. So, his birthplace is truly rare. Dong is a National Science Foundation graduate researcher and postdoctoral fellow in astronomy at Fong's lab at Northwestern.

Greater knowledge of fast radio bursts may lead to revelations about the nature of the universe. As the explosions travel through space for billions of years, they interact with cosmic material.

“Radio waves, in particular, are sensitive to any object that interferes with our line of sight from the FRP location,” Fang said. “That is, the waves must travel through any cloud of material surrounding the FRB site, through its host galaxy, through the Universe, and finally through the Milky Way. Starting with the delay of the FRB signal, we can measure the sum of all these contributions.”

Astronomers envision more sensitive methods for detecting fast radio bursts in the future, which could lead to detecting them at greater distances, Gordon said.

“Ultimately, we're trying to answer the questions: What causes them? Who are their parents, what is their origin? Hubble observations provide a fascinating glimpse into the surprising kinds of environments that lead to these mysterious phenomena,” Fang said.