Scientific Publications

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We present the discovery of an as yet nonrepeating fast radio burst (FRB), FRB 20210117A, with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), as a part of the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients Survey. The subarcsecond localization of the burst led to the identification of its host galaxy at z = 0.214(1). This redshift is much lower than what would be expected for a source dispersion measure (DM) of 729 pc cm$^{−3}$, given typical contributions from the intergalactic medium and the host galaxy. Optical observations reveal the host to be a dwarf galaxy with little ongoing star formation—very different to the dwarf host galaxies of the known repeating FRBs 20121102A and 20190520B. We find an excess DM contribution from the host and attribute it to the FRB's local environment. We do not find any radio emission from the FRB site or host galaxy. The low magnetized environment and the lack of a persistent radio source indicate that the FRB source is older than those found in other dwarf host galaxies, establishing the diversity of FRB sources in dwarf galaxy environments. We find our observations to be fully consistent with the "hypernebula" model, where the FRB is powered by an accretion jet from a hyperaccreting black hole. Finally, our high time resolution analysis reveals burst characteristics similar to those seen in repeating FRBs. We encourage follow-up observations of FRB 20210117A to establish any repeating nature.

We constrain the Hubble constant H0 using Fast Radio Burst (FRB) observations from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and Murriyang (Parkes) radio telescopes. We use the redshift-dispersion measure ('Macquart') relationship, accounting for the intrinsic luminosity function, cosmological gas distribution, population evolution, host galaxy contributions to the dispersion measure (DMhost), and observational biases due to burst duration and telescope beamshape. Using an updated sample of 16 ASKAP FRBs detected by the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients (CRAFT) Survey and localized to their host galaxies, and 60 unlocalized FRBs from Parkes and ASKAP, our best-fitting value of H0 is calculated to be $73_{-8}^{+12}$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$. Uncertainties in FRB energetics and $\mathrm{DM_{host}}$ produce larger uncertainties in the inferred value of H0 compared to previous FRB-based estimates. Using a prior on $H_0$ covering the 67-74 km s-1 Mpc-1 range, we estimate a median ${\rm DM}_{\rm host} = 186_{-48}^{+59}\,{\rm pc \, cm^{-3}}$, exceeding previous estimates. We confirm that the FRB population evolves with redshift similarly to the star-formation rate. We use a Schechter luminosity function to constrain the maximum FRB energy to be $\mathrm{log_{10} E_{max}}=41.26_{-0.22}^{+0.27}$ erg assuming a characteristic FRB emission bandwidth of 1 GHz at 1.3 GHz, and the cumulative luminosity index to be $\gamma =-0.95_{-0.15}^{+0.18}$. We demonstrate with a sample of 100 mock FRBs that $H_0$ can be measured with an uncertainty of ±2.5 km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$, demonstrating the potential for clarifying the Hubble tension with an upgraded ASKAP FRB search system. Last, we explore a range of sample and selection biases that affect FRB analyses.

Shivani Bhandari, Kasper E. Heintz, Kshitij Aggarwal, Lachlan Marnoch, Cherie K. Day, Jessica Sydnor, Sarah Burke-Spolaor, Casey J. Law, J. Xavier Prochaska, Nicolas Tejos, Keith W. Bannister, Bryan J. Butler, Adam T.Deller, R. D. Ekers, Chris Flynn, Wen-fai Fong, Clancy W. James, T. Joseph W. Lazio, Rui Luo, Elizabeth K. Mahony, Stuart D. Ryder, Elaine M. Sadler, Ryan M. Shannon, JinLin Han, Kejia Lee, Bing Zhang: Characterizing the FRB host galaxy population and its connection to transients in the local and extragalactic Universe; The Astronomical Journal, vol. 163, issue 2, id. 69; January 2022

We present the localization and host galaxies of one repeating and two apparently non-repeating Fast Radio Bursts. FRB20180301A was detected and localized with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array to a star-forming galaxy at z=0.3304. FRB20191228A, and FRB20200906A were detected and localized by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder to host galaxies at z=0.2430 and z=0.3688, respectively. We combine these with 13 other well-localised FRBs in the literature, and analyse the host galaxy properties. We find no significant differences in the host properties of repeating and apparently non-repeating FRBs. FRB hosts are moderately star-forming, with masses slightly offset from the star-forming main-sequence. Star formation and low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER) emission are major sources of ionization in FRB host galaxies, with the former dominant in repeating FRB hosts. FRB hosts do not track stellar mass and star formation as seen in field galaxies (95% confidence). FRBs are rare in massive red galaxies, suggesting that progenitor formation channels are not solely dominated by delayed channels which lag star formation by gigayears. The global properties of FRB hosts are indistinguishable from core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) and short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) hosts (95% confidence), and the spatial offset (from galaxy centers) of FRBs is consistent with that of the Galactic neutron star population. The spatial offsets of FRBs (normalized to the galaxy effective radius) mostly differs from that of globular clusters (GCs) in late- and early-type galaxies with 95% confidence.

2021

C. Nuñez, N. Tejos, G. Pignata, C. D. Kilpatrick, J. X. Prochaska, K. E. Heintz, K. W. Bannister, S. Bhandari, C. K. Day, A. T. Deller, C. Flynn, E. K. Mahony, D. Majewski, L. Marnoch, H. Qiu, S. D. Ryder, R. M. Shannon; Constraining bright optical counterparts of fast radio bursts, Astronomy & Astrophysics, vol. 653, A119; September 2021.

Context. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are extremely energetic pulses of millisecond duration and unknown origin. To understand the phenomenon that emits these pulses, targeted and un-targeted searches have been performed for multiwavelength counterparts, including the optical.
Aims. The objective of this work is to search for optical transients at the positions of eight well-localized (< 1″) FRBs after the arrival of the burst on different timescales (typically at one day, several months, and one year after FRB detection). We then compare this with known optical light curves to constrain progenitor models.
Methods. We used the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) network to promptly take images with its network of 23 telescopes working around the world. We used a template subtraction technique to analyze all the images collected at differing epochs. We have divided the difference images into two groups: In one group we use the image of the last epoch as a template, and in the other group we use the image of the first epoch as a template. We then searched for optical transients at the localizations of the FRBs in the template subtracted images.
Results. We have found no optical transients and have therefore set limiting magnitudes to the optical counterparts. Typical limits in apparent and absolute magnitudes for our LCOGT data are ∼22 and −19 mag in the r band, respectively. We have compared our limiting magnitudes with light curves of super-luminous supernovae (SLSNe), Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), supernovae associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRB-SNe), a kilonova, and tidal disruption events (TDEs).
Conclusions. Assuming that the FRB emission coincides with the time of explosion of these transients, we rule out associations with SLSNe (at the ∼99.9% confidence level) and the brightest subtypes of SNe Ia, GRB-SNe, and TDEs (at a similar confidence level). However, we cannot exclude scenarios where FRBs are directly associated with the faintest of these subtypes or with kilonovae.

Jay S. Chittidi, Sunil Simha, Alexandra Mannings, J. Xavier Prochaska, Mark Rafelski, Marcel Neeleman, Jean-Pierre Macquart, Nicolas Tejos, Regina A. Jorgenson, Stuart D. Ryder, Cherie K. Day, Lachlan Marnoch, Shivani Bhandari, Adam T. Deller, Hao Qiu, Keith W. Bannister, Ryan M. Shannon, Kasper E. Heintz; Dissecting the Local Environment of FRB 190608 in the Spiral Arm of its Host Galaxy, The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 922, issue 2, id. 173; November 2021.

We present a high-resolution analysis of the host galaxy of fast radio burst FRB 190608, an SBc galaxy at $z=0.11778$ (hereafter HG 190608), to dissect its local environment and its contributions to the FRB properties. Our Hubble Space Telescope WFC3/UVIS image reveals that the sub-arcsecond localization of FRB 190608 is coincident with a knot of star-formation ($\Sigma_{SFR} = 1.2 \times 10^{-2}~ M_{\odot} \, kpc^{-2}$) in one of the prominent spiral arms of HG 190608. This is confirmed by H$\beta$ emission present in our Keck/KCWI integral field spectrum of the galaxy with a surface brightness of $\mu_{H\beta} = (3.35\pm0.18)\times10^{-17}\;erg\;s^{-1}\;cm^{-2}\;arcsec^{-2}$. We infer an extinction-corrected H$\alpha$ surface brightness and compute a dispersion measure from the interstellar medium of HG 190608 of ${DM}_{Host,ISM} = 82 \pm 35~ pc \, cm^{-3}$. The galaxy rotates with a circular velocity $v_{circ} = 141 \pm 8~ km \, s^{-1}$ at an inclination $i_{gas} = 37 \pm 3^\circ$, giving a dynamical mass $M_{halo}^{dyn} \approx 10^{11.96 \pm 0.08}~ M_{\odot}$. A surface photometric analysis of the galaxy using FORS2 imaging suggests a stellar disk inclination of $i_{stellar} = 26 \pm 3^\circ$. The dynamical mass estimate implies a halo contribution to the dispersion measure of ${DM}_{Host,Halo} = 55 \pm 25\; pc \, cm^{-3}$ subject to assumptions on the density profile and fraction of baryons retained. The relatively high temporal broadening ($\tau = 3.3 \pm 0.2 \; ms$ at 1.28 GHz) and rotation measure ($ RM = 353 \pm 2\; rad \; m^{-2}$) (Day et al. 2020) of FRB 190608 may be attributable to both turbulent gas within the spiral arm and gas local to the FRB progenitor. In contrast to previous high-resolution studies of FRB progenitor environments, we find no evidence for disturbed morphology, emission, nor kinematics for FRB 190608.
We present observations and detailed characterizations of five new host galaxies of fast radio bursts (FRBs) discovered with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and localized to ≲1″. Combining these galaxies with FRB hosts from the literature, we introduce criteria based on the probability of chance coincidence to define a subsample of 10 highly confident associations (at $z = 0.03-0.52$), 3 of which correspond to known repeating FRBs. Overall, the FRB-host galaxies exhibit a broad, continuous range of color $(M_u - M_r = 0.9-2.0)$, stellar mass $(M_⋆ = 10^8 - 6 \times 10^{10} M_\odot)$, and star formation rate $(SFR = 0.05-10 M_\odot yr^{-1})$ spanning the full parameter space occupied by $z < 0.5$ galaxies. However, they do not track the color-magnitude, $SFR-M_⋆$, nor BPT diagrams of field galaxies surveyed at similar redshifts. There is an excess of "green valley" galaxies and an excess of emission-line ratios indicative of a harder radiation field than that generated by star formation alone. From the observed stellar mass distribution, we rule out the hypothesis that FRBs strictly track stellar mass in galaxies (>99% c.l.). We measure a median offset of 3.3 kpc from the FRB to the estimated center of the host galaxies and compare the host-burst offset distribution and other properties with the distributions of long- and short-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs and SGRBs), core-collapse supernovae (CC-SNe), and SNe Ia. This analysis rules out galaxies hosting LGRBs (faint, star-forming galaxies) as common hosts for FRBs (>95% c.l.). Other transient channels (SGRBs, CC-, and SNe Ia) have host-galaxy properties and offsets consistent with the FRB distributions. All of the data and derived quantities are made publicly available on a dedicated website and repository.
We present a new fast radio burst (FRB) at 920 MHz discovered during commensal observations conducted with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) as part of the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients (CRAFT) survey. FRB 191001 was detected at a dispersion measure (DM) of $506.92(4)\ pc\ cm^{-3}$ and its measured fluence of 143(15) Jy ms is the highest of the bursts localized to host galaxies by ASKAP to date. The subarcsecond localization of the FRB provided by ASKAP reveals that the burst originated in the outskirts of a highly star-forming spiral in a galaxy pair at redshift $z = 0.2340(1)$. Radio observations show no evidence for a compact persistent radio source associated with the FRB 191001 above a flux density of 15 μJy. However, we detect diffuse synchrotron radio emission from the disk of the host galaxy that we ascribe to ongoing star formation. FRB 191001 was also detected as an image-plane transient in a single 10 s snapshot with a flux density of 19.3 mJy in the low-time-resolution visibilities obtained simultaneously with CRAFT data. The commensal observation facilitated a search for repeating and slowly varying radio emissions 8 hr before and 1 hr after the burst. We found no variable radio emission on timescales ranging from 1 ms to 1.4 hr. We report our upper limits and briefly review FRB progenitor theories in the literature that predict radio afterglows. Our data are still only weakly constraining of any afterglows at the redshift of the FRB. Future commensal observations of more nearby and bright FRBs will potentially provide stronger constraints.

Lachlan Marnoch, Stuart D. Ryder, Keith W. Bannister, Shivani Bhandari, Cherie K. Day, Adam T. Deller, Jean-Pierre Macquart, Richard M. McDermid, J. Xavier Prochaska, Hao Qiu, Elaine M. Sadler, Ryan M. Shannon, Nicolas Tejos; A search for supernova-like optical counterparts to ASKAP-localised Fast Radio Bursts, Astronomy & Astrophysics, vol. 639, A119; July 2020

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-scale radio pulses, which originate in distant galaxies and are produced by unknown sources. The mystery remains partially because of the typical difficulty in localising FRBs to host galaxies. Accurate localisations delivered by the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients (CRAFT) survey now provide an opportunity to study the host galaxies and potential transient counterparts of FRBs at a large range of wavelengths. In this work, we investigate whether the first three FRBs accurately localised by CRAFT have supernova-like transient counterparts. We obtained two sets of imaging epochs with the Very Large Telescope for three host galaxies, one soon after the burst detection and one several months later. After subtracting these images no optical counterparts were identified in the associated FRB host galaxies, so we instead place limits on the brightness of any potential optical transients. A Monte Carlo approach, in which supernova light curves were modelled and their base properties randomised, was used to estimate the probability of a supernova associated with each FRB going undetected. We conclude that Type Ia and IIn supernovae are unlikely to accompany every apparently non-repeating FRB.

Shivani Bhandari, Elaine M. Sadler, J. Xavier Prochaska, Sunil Simha, Stuart D. Ryder, Lachlan Marnoch, Keith W. Bannister, Jean-Pierre Macquart, Chris Flynn, Ryan M. Shannon, Nicolas Tejos, Felipe Corro-Guerra, Cherie K. Day, Adam T. Deller, Ron D. Ekers, Sebastian Lopez, Elizabeth K. Mahony, Consuelo Nuñez, Chris Phillips; The host galaxies and progenitors of Fast Radio Bursts localized with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, The Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol. 895, issue 2, L37; June 2020.

The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope has started to localize fast radio bursts (FRBs) to arcsecond accuracy from the detection of a single pulse, allowing their host galaxies to be reliably identified. We discuss the global properties of the host galaxies of the first four FRBs localized by ASKAP, which lie in the redshift range $0.11 < z < 0.48$. All four are massive galaxies $(log(M_*/M_\odot) \approx 9.4-10.4)$ with modest star formation rates of up to $2\ M_\odot\ yr^{-1}$ — very different to the host galaxy of the first repeating FRB 121102, which is a dwarf galaxy with a high specific star formation rate. The FRBs localized by ASKAP typically lie in the outskirts of their host galaxies, which appears to rule out FRB progenitor models that invoke active galactic nuclei or free-floating cosmic strings. The stellar population seen in these host galaxies also disfavors models in which all FRBs arise from young magnetars produced by superluminous supernovae, as proposed for the progenitor of FRB 121102. A range of other progenitor models (including compact-object mergers and magnetars arising from normal core-collapse supernovae) remain plausible.
More than three-quarters of the baryonic content of the Universe resides in a highly diffuse state that is difficult to detect, with only a small fraction directly observed in galaxies and galaxy clusters. Censuses of the nearby Universe have used absorption line spectroscopy to observe the 'invisible'; baryons, but these measurements rely on large and uncertain corrections and are insensitive to most of the Universe's volume and probably most of its mass. In particular, quasar spectroscopy is sensitive either to the very small amounts of hydrogen that exist in the atomic state, or to highly ionized and enriched gas in denser regions near galaxies7. Other techniques to observe these invisible baryons also have limitations; Sunyaev-Zel'dovich analyses can provide evidence from gas within filamentary structures, and studies of X-ray emission are most sensitive to gas near galaxy clusters. Here we report a measurement of the baryon content of the Universe using the dispersion of a sample of localized fast radio bursts; this technique determines the electron column density along each line of sight and accounts for every ionized baryon. We augment the sample of reported arcsecond-localized fast radio bursts with four new localizations in host galaxies that have measured redshifts of 0.291, 0.118, 0.378 and 0.522. This completes a sample sufficiently large to account for dispersion variations along the lines of sight and in the host-galaxy environments11, and we derive a cosmic baryon density of ${\varOmega }_{{\rm{b}}}={0.051}_{-0.025}^{+0.021}{h}_{70}^{-1}$ (95 per cent confidence; $h_{70} = H_0/(70 km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1}$) and $H_0$ is Hubble's constant). This independent measurement is consistent with values derived from the cosmic microwave background and from Big Bang nucleosynthesis. The baryon density determined along the lines of sight to localized fast radio bursts is consistent with that determined from the cosmic microwave background and required by Big Bang nucleosynthesis.

2019

J. Xavier Prochaska, Jean-Pierre Macquart, Matthew McQuinn, Sunil Simha, Ryan M. Shannon, Cherie K. Day, Lachlan Marnoch, Stuart D. Ryder, Adam T. Deller, Keith W. Bannister, Shivani Bhandari, Rongmon Bordoloi, John Bunton, Hyerin Cho, Chris Flynn, Elizabeth K. Mahony, Chris Phillips, Hao Qiu, Nicolas Tejos; The low density and magnetization of a massive galaxy halo exposed by a fast radio burst. Science, vol. 366, issue 6462, pp. 231-234; October 2019.

Present-day galaxies are surrounded by cool and enriched halo gas extending for hundreds of kiloparsecs. This halo gas is thought to be the dominant reservoir of material available to fuel future star formation, but direct constraints on its mass and physical properties have been difficult to obtain. We report the detection of a fast radio burst (FRB 181112), localized with arcsecond precision, that passes through the halo of a foreground galaxy. Analysis of the burst shows that the halo gas has low net magnetization and turbulence. Our results imply predominantly diffuse gas in massive galactic halos, even those hosting active supermassive black holes, contrary to some previous results.