Search

We report the discovery of the repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source FRB 20240209A using the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME)/FRB telescope. We detected 22 bursts from this repeater between 2024 February and July, 6 of which were also recorded at the Outrigger station k’niʔatn k’l _⌣ stk’masqt (KKO). The multiple very long baseline interferometry localizations using the 66 km long CHIME–KKO baseline, each with a different baseline vector orientation due to the repeater’s high decl. of ∼86°, enabled the combined localization region to be constrained to 1″ × 2″. We present deep Gemini optical observations that, combined with the FRB localization, enabled a robust association of FRB 20240209A to the outskirts of a luminous galaxy (P(O∣x) = 0.99; L ≈ 5.3 × 10 ^10 L _⊙ ). FRB 20240209A has a projected physical offset of 40 ± 5 kpc from the center of its host galaxy, making it the FRB with the largest host galaxy offset to date. When normalized by the host galaxy size, the offset of FRB 20240209A (5.1 R _eff ) is comparable to that of FRB 20200120E (5.7 R _eff ), the only FRB source known to originate in a globular cluster. We consider several explanations for the large offset, including a progenitor that was kicked from the host galaxy or in situ formation in a low-luminosity satellite galaxy of the putative host, but find the most plausible scenario to be a globular cluster origin. This, coupled with the quiescent, elliptical nature of the host as demonstrated in our companion Letter, provides strong evidence for a delayed formation channel for the progenitor of the FRB source.

The discovery and localization of FRB 20240209A by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Fast Radio Burst (CHIME/FRB) experiment marks the first repeating FRB localized with the CHIME/FRB Outriggers and adds to the small sample of repeating FRBs with associated host galaxies. Here we present Keck and Gemini observations of the host that reveal a redshift z = 0.1384 ± 0.0004. We perform stellar population modeling to jointly fit the optical through mid-IR data of the host and infer a median stellar mass log( M _* / M _⊙ ) = 11.35 ± 0.01 and a mass-weighted stellar population age ~11 Gyr, corresponding to the most massive and oldest FRB host discovered to date. Coupled with a star formation rate

We present a spectro-temporal analysis of 137 fast radio bursts (FRBs) from the first CHIME/FRB baseband catalog, including 125 one-off bursts and 12 repeat bursts, down to microsecond resolution using the least-squares optimization fitting routine fitburst . We measure subburst components within burst envelopes as narrow as ~23 μ s (FWHM), with 20% of the sample displaying substructures narrower than 100 μ s, offering constraints on emission mechanisms. Scattering timescales in the sample range from 30 μ s to 13 ms at 600 MHz. Our measured values are compared with those in the first CHIME/FRB intensity catalog, revealing that nearly one-third of our sample exhibits additional burst components at higher time resolutions. We observe no correlations between scattering time and dispersion measure, rotation measure, or linear polarization fraction, with the latter suggesting that depolarization due to multipath propagation is negligible in our sample. Bursts with narrower envelopes (≤1 ms) in our sample exhibit higher flux densities, indicating the potential presence of submillisecond FRBs that are being missed by our real-time system below a brightness threshold. Most multicomponent bursts in our sample exhibit subburst separations of ≤1 ms, with no bursts showing separations < 41 μ s, even at a time resolution of 2.56 μ s, but both scattering and low signal-to-noise ratio can hinder the detection of additional components. Lastly, given the morphological diversity of our sample, we suggest that one-off and repeating FRBs can come from different classes but have overlapping property distributions.

The strict periodicity of pulsars is one of the primary ways through which their nature and environment can be studied, and it has also enabled precision tests of general relativity and studies of nanohertz gravitational waves using pulsar timing arrays (PTAs). Identifying such a periodicity from a discrete set of arrival times is a difficult algorithmic problem, In particular when the pulsar is in a binary system. This challenge is especially acute in γ -ray pulsar astronomy, as there are hundreds of unassociated Fermi-LAT sources that may be produced by γ -ray emission from unknown pulsars. Recovering their timing solutions will help reveal their properties and may allow them to be added to PTAs. The same issue arises when attempting to recover a strict periodicity for repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs). Such a detection would be a major breakthrough, providing us with the FRB source’s age, magnetic field, and binary orbit. The problem of recovering a timing solution from sparse time-of-arrival data is currently unsolvable for pulsars in unknown binary systems, and incredibly hard even for isolated pulsars. In this paper, we frame the timing recovery problem as the problem of finding a short vector in a lattice and obtain the solution using off-the-shelf lattice reduction and sieving techniques. As a proof of concept, we solve PSR J0318+0253, a millisecond γ -ray pulsar discovered by FAST in a γ -ray-directed search, in a few CPU minutes. We discuss the assumptions of the standard lattice techniques and quantify their performance and limitations.

We present the localization and host galaxy of FRB 20190208A, a repeating source of fast radio bursts (FRBs) discovered using CHIME/FRB. As part of the Pinpointing REpeating ChIme Sources with EVN dishes repeater localization program on the European VLBI Network (EVN), we monitored FRB 20190208A for 65.6 hr at ∼1.4 GHz and detected a single burst, which led to its very long baseline interferometry localization with 260 mas uncertainty (2 σ ). Follow-up optical observations with the MMT Observatory ( i ≳ 25.7 mag (AB)) found no visible host at the FRB position. Subsequent deeper observations with the Gran Telescopio Canarias, however, revealed an extremely faint galaxy ( r = 27.32 ± 0.16 mag), very likely (99.95%) associated with FRB 20190208A. Given the dispersion measure of the FRB (∼580 pc cm ^−3 ), even the most conservative redshift estimate ( ${z}_{\max }\sim 0.83$ ) implies that this is the lowest-luminosity FRB host to date (≲10 ^8 L _⊙ ), even less luminous than the dwarf host of FRB 20121102A. We investigate how localization precision and the depth of optical imaging affect host association and discuss the implications of such a low-luminosity dwarf galaxy. Unlike the other repeaters with low-luminosity hosts, FRB 20190208A has a modest Faraday rotation measure of a few tens of rad m ^−2 , and EVN plus Very Large Array observations reveal no associated compact persistent radio source. We also monitored FRB 20190208A for 40.4 hr over 2 yr as part of the Extragalactic Coherent Light from Astrophysical Transients repeating FRB monitoring campaign on the Nançay Radio Telescope and detected one burst. Our results demonstrate that, in some cases, the robust association of an FRB with a host galaxy will require both high localization precision and deep optical follow-up.

We present the host galaxies of four apparently nonrepeating fast radio bursts (FRBs), FRB 20181223C, FRB 20190418A, FRB 20191220A, and FRB 20190425A, reported in the first Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME/FRB) catalog. Our selection of these FRBs is based on a planned hypothesis testing framework where we search all CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 events that have low extragalactic dispersion measure ( 10°) and saved baseband data. We associate the selected FRBs with galaxies with moderate to high star formation rates located at redshifts between 0.027 and 0.071. We also search for possible multimessenger counterparts, including persistent compact radio and gravitational-wave sources, and find none. Utilizing the four FRB hosts from this study, along with the hosts of 14 published local Universe FRBs ( z < 0.1) with robust host association, we conduct an FRB host demographics analysis. We find all 18 local Universe FRB hosts in our sample to be spirals (or late-type galaxies), including the host of FRB 20220509G, which was previously reported to be elliptical. Using this observation, we scrutinize proposed FRB source formation channels and argue that core-collapse supernovae are likely the dominant channel to form FRB sources. Moreover, we infer no significant difference in the host properties of repeating and apparently nonrepeating FRBs in our local Universe FRB host sample. Finally, we find the burst rates of these four apparently nonrepeating FRBs to be consistent with those of the sample of localized repeating FRBs observed by CHIME/FRB. Therefore, we encourage further monitoring of these FRBs with more sensitive radio telescopes.

The identification of persistent radio sources (PRSs) coincident with two repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) supports FRB theories requiring a compact central engine. However, deep nondetections in other cases highlight the diversity of repeating FRBs and their local environments. Here, we perform a systematic search for radio sources towards 37 CHIME/FRB repeaters using their arcminute localizations and a combination of archival surveys and targeted observations. Through multiwavelength analysis of individual radio sources, we identify two (20181030A-S1 and 20190417A-S1) for which we disfavor an origin of either star formation or an active galactic nucleus in their host galaxies and thus consider them candidate PRSs. We do not find any associated PRSs for the majority of the repeating FRBs in our sample. For eight FRB fields with Very Large Array imaging, we provide deep limits on the presence of PRSs that are 2–4 orders of magnitude fainter than the PRS associated with FRB 20121102A. Using Very Large Array Sky Survey imaging of all 37 fields, we constrain the rate of luminous (≳10 ^40 erg s ^−1 ) PRSs associated with repeating FRBs to be low. Within the context of FRB-PRS models, we find that 20181030A-S1 and 20190417A-S1 can be reasonably explained within the context of magnetar, hypernebulae, gamma-ray burst afterglow, or supernova ejecta models—although we note that both sources follow the radio luminosity versus rotation measure relationship predicted in the nebula model framework. Future observations will be required to both further characterize and confirm the association of these PRS candidates with the FRBs.

We present a search for host galaxy associations for the third set of repeating fast radio burst (FRB) sources discovered by the CHIME/FRB Collaboration. Using the ∼1′ CHIME/FRB baseband localizations and probabilistic methods, we identify potential host galaxies of two FRBs, 20200223B and 20190110C at redshifts of 0.06024(2) and 0.12244(6), respectively. We also discuss the properties of a third marginal candidate host galaxy association for FRB 20191106C with a host redshift of 0.10775(1). The three putative host galaxies are all relatively massive, fall on the standard mass–metallicity relationship for nearby galaxies, and show evidence of ongoing star formation. They also all show signatures of being in a transitional regime, falling in the green valley , which is between the bulk of star-forming and quiescent galaxies. The plausible host galaxies identified by our analysis are consistent with the overall population of repeating and nonrepeating FRB hosts while increasing the fraction of massive and bright galaxies. Coupled with these previous host associations, we identify a possible excess of FRB repeaters whose host galaxies have M _u − M _r colors redder than the bulk of star-forming galaxies. Additional precise localizations are required to confirm this trend.

We present results from angular cross correlations between select samples of CHIME/FRB repeaters and galaxies in three photometric galaxy surveys, which have shown correlations with the first CHIME/FRB catalog containing repeating and nonrepeating sources: Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) × SCOS, DESI-BGS, and DESI-LRG. We find a statistically significant correlation ( p -value 395 pc cm ^−3 and WISE × SCOS galaxies with redshift z > 0.275. We demonstrate that the correlation arises surprisingly because of a statistical association between FRB 20200320A (extragalactic DM ≈ 550 pc cm ^−3 ) and a galaxy group in the same dark matter halo at redshift z ≈ 0.32. We estimate that the host halo, along with an intervening halo at redshift z ≈ 0.12, accounts for at least ∼30% of the extragalactic DM. Our results strongly motivate incorporating galaxy group and cluster catalogs into direct host association pipelines for FRBs with $\lesssim 1^{\prime} $ localization precision, effectively utilizing the two-point information to constrain FRB properties such as their redshift and DM distributions. In addition, we find marginal evidence for a negative correlation at 99.4% confidence limit between a sample of repeating FRBs with baseband data (median extragalactic DM = 354 pc cm ^−3 ) and DESI-LRG galaxies with redshift 0.3 ≤ z < 0.45, suggesting that the repeaters might be more prone than apparent nonrepeaters to propagation effects in FRB–galaxy correlations due to intervening free electrons over angular scales ∼0.°5.

We present a 400–800 MHz polarimetric analysis of 128 nonrepeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) from the first CHIME/FRB baseband catalog, increasing the total number of FRB sources with polarization properties by a factor of ∼3. A total of 89 FRBs have >6 σ linearly polarized detections, 29 FRBs fall below this significance threshold and are deemed linearly unpolarized, and for 10 FRBs, the polarization data are contaminated by instrumental polarization. For the 89 polarized FRBs, we find Faraday rotation measure (RM) amplitudes, after subtracting approximate Milky Way contributions, in the range 0.5–1160 rad m ^−2 with a median of 53.8 rad m ^−2 . Most nonrepeating FRBs in our sample have RMs consistent with Milky Way–like host galaxies, and their linear polarization fractions range from ≤10% to 100% with a median of 63%. We see marginal evidence that nonrepeating FRBs have more constraining lower limits than repeating FRBs for the host electron-density-weighted line of sight magnetic field strength. We classify the nonrepeating FRB polarization position angle (PA) profiles into four archetypes: (i) single component with constant PA (57% of the sample), (ii) single component with variable PA (10%), (iii) multiple components with a single-constant PA (22%), and (iv) multiple components with different or variable PAs (11%). We see no evidence for population-wide frequency-dependent depolarization, and, therefore, the spread in the distribution of fractional linear polarization is likely intrinsic to the FRB emission mechanism. Finally, we present a novel method to derive redshift lower limits for polarized FRBs without host galaxy identification and test this method on 20 FRBs with independently measured redshifts.

In 2021, a catalog of 536 fast radio bursts (FRBs) detected with the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) radio telescope was released by the CHIME/FRB Collaboration. This large collection of bursts, observed with a single instrument and uniform selection effects, has advanced our understanding of the FRB population. Here we update the results for 140 of these FRBs for which channelized raw voltage (“baseband”) data are available. With the voltages measured by the telescope’s antennas, it is possible to maximize the telescope sensitivity in any direction within the primary beam, an operation called “beamforming.” This allows us to increase the signal-to-noise ratios of the bursts and to localize them to subarcminute precision. The improved localizations are also used to correct the beam response of the instrument and to measure fluxes and fluences with an ∼10% uncertainty. Additionally, the time resolution is increased by 3 orders of magnitude relative to that in the first CHIME/FRB catalog, and, applying coherent dedispersion, burst morphologies can be studied in detail. Polarization information is also available for the full sample of 140 FRBs, providing an unprecedented data set to study the polarization properties of the population. We release the baseband data beamformed to the most probable position of each FRB. These data are analyzed in detail in a series of accompanying papers.

Localizing fast radio bursts (FRBs) to their host galaxies is an essential step to better understanding their origins and using them as cosmic probes. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME)/FRB Outriggers program aims to add very long baseline interferometry localization capabilities to CHIME, such that FRBs may be localized to tens of milliarcsecond precision at the time of their discovery, more than sufficient for host galaxy identification. The first-built outrigger telescope is the Outrigger (KKO), located 66 km west of CHIME. Cross-correlating KKO with CHIME can achieve arcsecond precision along the baseline axis while avoiding the worst effects of the ionosphere. Since the CHIME–KKO baseline is mostly east/west, this improvement is mostly in right ascension. This paper presents measurements of KKO’s performance throughout its commissioning phase, as well as a summary of its design and function. We demonstrate KKO’s capabilities as a standalone instrument by producing full-sky images, mapping the angular and frequency structure of the primary beam, and measuring feed positions. To demonstrate the localization capabilities of the CHIME–KKO baseline, we collected five separate observations each, for a set of 20 bright pulsars, and aimed to measure their positions to within 5″. All of these pulses were successfully localized to within this specification. The next two outriggers are expected to be commissioned in 2024 and will enable subarcsecond localizations for approximately hundreds of FRBs each year.

Studying transient phenomena, such as individual pulses from pulsars, has garnered considerable attention in the era of astronomical big data. Of specific interest to this study are rotating radio transients (RRATs), nulling, and intermittent pulsars. This study introduces a new algorithm named LuNfit, tailored to correct the selection biases originating from the telescope and detection pipelines. Ultimately LuNfit estimates the intrinsic luminosity distribution and nulling fraction of the single pulses emitted by pulsars. LuNfit relies on Bayesian nested sampling so that the parameter space can be fully explored. Bayesian nested sampling also provides the additional benefit of simplifying model comparisons through the Bayes ratio. The robustness of LuNfit is shown through simulations and applying LuNfit onto pulsars with known nulling fractions. LuNfit is then applied to three RRATs, J0012+5431, J1538+1523, and J2355+1523, extracting their intrinsic luminosity distribution and burst rates. We find that their nulling fractions are 0.4(2), 0.749(5), and 0.995(2), respectively. We further find that a log-normal distribution likely describes the single pulse luminosity distribution of J0012+5431 and J1538+1523, while the Bayes ratio for J2355+1523 slightly favors an exponential distribution. We show the conventional method of correcting selection effects by “scaling up” the missed fraction of radio transients can be unreliable when the mean luminosity of the source is faint relative to the telescope sensitivity. Finally, we discuss the limitations of the current implementation of LuNfit while also delving into potential enhancements that would enable LuNfit to be applied to sources with complex pulse morphologies.

We use the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) Fast Radio Burst (FRB) Project to search for FRBs that are temporally and spatially coincident with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) occurring between 2018 July 7 and 2023 August 3. We do not find any temporal (within 1 week) and spatial (within overlapping 3 σ localization regions) coincidences between any CHIME/FRB candidates and all GRBs with 1 σ localization uncertainties

We present an extensive contemporaneous X-ray and radio campaign performed on the repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source FRB 20220912A for 8 weeks immediately following the source’s detection by CHIME/FRB. This includes X-ray data from XMM-Newton, NICER, and Swift, and radio detections of FRB 20220912A from CHIME/Pulsar and Effelsberg. We detect no significant X-ray emission at the time of 30 radio bursts with upper limits on a 0.5–10.0 keV X-ray fluence of (1.5–14.5) × 10 ^−10 erg cm ^−2 (99.7% credible interval, unabsorbed) on a timescale of 100 ms. Translated into a fluence ratio η _x/r = F _X-ray / F _radio , this corresponds to η _x/r < 7 × 10 ^6 . For persistent emission from the location of FRB 20220912A, we derive a 99.7% 0.5–10.0 keV isotropic flux limit of 8.8 × 10 ^−15 erg cm ^−2 s ^−1 (unabsorbed) or an isotropic luminosity limit of 1.4 × 10 ^41 erg s ^−1 at a distance of 362.4 Mpc. We derive a hierarchical extension to the standard Bayesian treatment of low-count and background-contaminated X-ray data, which allows the robust combination of multiple observations. This methodology allows us to place the best (lowest) 99.7% credible interval upper limit on an FRB η _x/r to date, η _x/r < 2 × 10 ^6 , assuming that all 30 detected radio bursts are associated with X-ray bursts with the same fluence ratio. If we instead adopt an X-ray spectrum similar to the X-ray burst observed contemporaneously with FRB-like emission from the Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154 detected on 2020 April 28, we derive a 99.7% credible interval upper limit on η _x/r of 8 × 10 ^5 , which is only 3 times the observed value of η _x/r for SGR 1935+2154.

We present the discovery of 12 apparently nonrepeating fast radio burst (FRB) sources, detected by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope. These sources, only one of which has been presented previously in the first CHIME/FRB catalog, were selected from a database comprising ${ \mathcal O }({10}^{3})$ CHIME/FRB full-array raw voltage data recordings, based on their large signal-to-noise ratios and complex morphologies. Our study examines the time-frequency characteristics of these bursts, including drifting, microstructure, and periodicities. The events in this sample display a variety of unique drifting phenomenologies that deviate from the linear negative drifting phenomenon seen in many repeating FRBs, and motivate a possible new framework for classifying drifting archetypes. Additionally, we detect microstructure features of duration ≲50 μ s in seven events, with some as narrow as ≃7 μ s. We find no evidence of significant periodicities between subburst components. Furthermore, we report the polarization characteristics of seven events, including their polarization fractions and Faraday rotation measures (RMs). The observed ∣RM∣ values span a wide range of 17.24(2)–328.06(2) rad m ^−2 , with apparent linear polarization fractions between 0.340(1) and 0.946(3). The morphological properties of the bursts in our sample appear broadly consistent with predictions from both relativistic shock and magnetospheric models of FRB emission, as well as propagation through discrete ionized plasma structures. We address these models and discuss how they can be tested using our improved understanding of morphological archetypes.

We report 10 fast radio bursts (FRBs) detected in the far sidelobe region (i.e., ≥5° off-meridian) of the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) from August 28 2018 to August 31 2021. We localize the bursts by fitting their spectra with a model of the CHIME/FRB synthesized beam response. We find that the far sidelobe events have on average ∼500 times greater fluxes than events detected in CHIME’s main lobe. We show that the sidelobe sample is therefore statistically ∼20 times closer than the main lobe sample. We find promising host galaxy candidates ( P _cc < 1%) for two of the FRBs, 20190112B and 20210310B, at distances of 38 and 16 Mpc, respectively. CHIME/FRB did not observe repetition of similar brightness from the uniform sample of 10 sidelobe FRBs in a total exposure time of 35,580 hr. Under the assumption of Poisson-distributed bursts, we infer that the mean repetition interval above the detection threshold of the far sidelobe events is longer than 11,880 hr, which is at least 2380 times larger than the interval from known CHIME/FRB detected repeating sources, with some caveats, notably that very narrowband events could have been missed. Our results from these far sidelobe events suggest one of two scenarios: either (1) all FRBs repeat and the repetition intervals span a wide range, with high-rate repeaters being a rare sub-population, or (2) non-repeating FRBs are a distinct population different from known repeaters.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are a class of highly energetic, mostly extragalactic radio transients lasting for ∼milliseconds. While over 600 FRBs have been published so far, their origins are presently unclear, with some theories for extragalactic FRBs predicting accompanying high-energy emission. In this work, we use the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) Fast Radio Burst (CHIME/FRB) Project to explore whether any FRB-like radio emission coincides in space and time with 81 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected between 2018 July 17 and 2019 July 8 by Swift/BAT and Fermi/GBM. We do not find any statistically significant coincident pairs within 3 σ of each other’s spatial localization regions and within a time difference of up to one week. In addition to searching for spatial matches between known FRBs and known GRBs, we use CHIME/FRB to constrain FRB-like (∼1–10 ms) radio emission before, at the time of, or after the reported high-energy emission at the position of 39 GRBs. For short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs), we constrain the radio flux in the 400–800 MHz band to be under a few kJy for ∼5.5–12.5 hr post-high-energy burst. We use these limits to constrain models that predict FRB-like prompt radio emission after SGRBs. For long gamma-ray bursts, we constrain the radio flux to be under a few kJy from ∼6 hr pre-high-energy burst to ∼12 hr post-high-energy burst.

We present the discovery of 25 new repeating fast radio burst (FRB) sources found among CHIME/FRB events detected between 2019 September 30 and 2021 May 1. The sources were found using a new clustering algorithm that looks for multiple events colocated on the sky having similar dispersion measures (DMs). The new repeaters have DMs ranging from ∼220 to ∼1700 pc cm ^−3 , and include sources having exhibited as few as two bursts to as many as twelve. We report a statistically significant difference in both the DM and extragalactic DM (eDM) distributions between repeating and apparently nonrepeating sources, with repeaters having a lower mean DM and eDM, and we discuss the implications. We find no clear bimodality between the repetition rates of repeaters and upper limits on repetition from apparently nonrepeating sources after correcting for sensitivity and exposure effects, although some active repeating sources stand out as anomalous. We measure the repeater fraction over time and find that it tends to an equilibrium of ${2.6}_{-2.6}^{+2.9}$ % over our total time-on-sky thus far. We also report on 14 more sources, which are promising repeating FRB candidates and which merit follow-up observations for confirmation.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) display a confounding variety of burst properties and host-galaxy associations. Repeating FRBs offer insight into the FRB population by enabling spectral, temporal, and polarimetric properties to be tracked over time. Here, we report on the polarized observations of 12 repeating sources using multiyear monitoring with the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) over 400–800 MHz. We observe significant rotation measure (RM) variations from many sources in our sample, including RM changes of several hundred radians per square meter over month timescales from FRBs 20181119A, 20190303A, and 20190417A, and more modest RM variability (ΔRM ≲ few tens of radians per square meter) from FRBs 20181030A, 20190208A, 20190213B, and 20190117A over equivalent timescales. Several repeaters display a frequency-dependent degree of linear polarization that is consistent with depolarization via scattering. Combining our measurements of RM variations with equivalent constraints on DM variability, we estimate the average line-of-sight magnetic field strength in the local environment of each repeater. In general, repeating FRBs display RM variations that are more prevalent and/or extreme than those seen from radio pulsars in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds, suggesting repeating FRBs and pulsars occupy distinct magnetoionic environments.

The CHIME/FRB project has detected hundreds of fast radio bursts (FRBs), providing an unparalleled population to statistically probe the foreground media that they illuminate. One such foreground medium is the ionized halo of the Milky Way (MW). We estimate the total Galactic electron column density from FRB dispersion measures (DMs) as a function of Galactic latitude using four different estimators, including ones that assume spherical symmetry of the ionized MW halo and ones that imply more latitudinal variation in density. Our observation-based constraints of the total Galactic DM contribution for ∣ b ∣ ≥ 30°, depending on the Galactic latitude and selected model, span 87.8–141 pc cm ^−3 . This constraint implies upper limits on the MW halo DM contribution that range over 52–111 pc cm ^−3 . We discuss the viability of various gas density profiles for the MW halo that have been used to estimate the halo’s contribution to DMs of extragalactic sources. Several models overestimate the DM contribution, especially when assuming higher halo gas masses (∼3.5 × 10 ^12 M _⊙ ). Some halo models predict a higher MW halo DM contribution than can be supported by our observations unless the effect of feedback is increased within them, highlighting the impact of feedback processes in galaxy formation.

Of the more than 3000 radio pulsars currently known, only ∼300 are in binary systems, and only five of these consist of young pulsars with massive nondegenerate companions. We present the discovery and initial timing, accomplished using the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope, of the sixth such binary pulsar, PSR J2108+4516, a 0.577 s radio pulsar in a 269 day orbit of eccentricity 0.09 with a companion of minimum mass 11 M _⊙ . Notably, the pulsar undergoes periods of substantial eclipse, disappearing from the CHIME 400–800 MHz observing band for a large fraction of its orbit, and displays significant dispersion measure and scattering variations throughout its orbit, pointing to the possibility of a circumstellar disk or very dense stellar wind associated with the companion star. Subarcsecond resolution imaging with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array unambiguously demonstrates that the companion is a bright, V ≃ 11 OBe star, EM* UHA 138, located at a distance of 3.26(14) kpc. Archival optical observations of EM* UHA 138 approximately suggest a companion mass ranging from 17.5 M _⊙ < M _c < 23 M _⊙ , in turn constraining the orbital inclination angle to 50.°3 ≲ i ≲ 58.°3. With further multiwavelength follow-up, PSR J2108+4516 promises to serve as another rare laboratory for the exploration of companion winds, circumstellar disks, and short-term evolution through extended-body orbital dynamics.

Fast radio burst (FRB) source FRB 20180916B exhibits a 16.33-day periodicity in its burst activity. It is as of yet unclear what proposed mechanism produces the activity, but polarization information is a key diagnostic. Here we report on the polarization properties of 44 bursts from FRB 20180916B detected between 2018 December and 2021 December by CHIME/FRB, the FRB project on the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment. In contrast to previous observations, we find significant variations in the Faraday rotation measure (RM) of FRB 20180916B. Over the 9-month period 2021 April and 2021 December we observe an apparent secular increase in RM of ∼50 rad m ^−2 (a fractional change of over 40%) that is accompanied by a possible drift of the emitting band to lower frequencies. This interval displays very little variation in the dispersion measure (ΔDM ≲ 0.8 pc cm ^−3 ), which indicates that the observed RM evolution is likely produced from coherent changes in the Faraday-active medium’s magnetic field. Burst-to-burst RM variations appear unrelated to the activity cycle phase. The degree of linear polarization of our burst sample (≳80%) is consistent with the negligible depolarization expected for this source in the 400–800 MHz bandpass of CHIME. FRB 20180916B joins other repeating FRBs in displaying substantial RM evolution. This is consistent with the notion that repeater progenitors may be associated with young stellar populations by their preferential occupation of dynamic magnetized environments commonly found in supernova remnants, in pulsar wind nebulae, or near high-mass stellar companions.

We report on improved sky localizations of 13 repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) discovered by CHIME/FRB via the use of interferometric techniques on channelized voltages from the telescope. These so-called “baseband localizations” improve the localization uncertainty area presented in past studies by more than three orders of magnitude. The improved localization regions are provided for the full sample of FRBs to enable follow-up studies. The localization uncertainties, together with the limits on the source distances from their dispersion measures, allow us to identify likely host galaxies for two of the FRB sources. FRB 20180814A lives in a massive passive red spiral at z ∼ 0.068 with very little indication of star formation, while FRB 20190303A resides in a merging pair of spiral galaxies at z ∼ 0.064 undergoing significant star formation. These galaxies show very different characteristics, further confirming the presence of FRB progenitors in a variety of environments even among the repeating subclass.

FRB 20180916B is a repeating fast radio burst (FRB) with a 16.3 day periodicity in its activity. In this study, we present morphological properties of 60 FRB 20180916B bursts detected by CHIME/FRB between 2018 August and 2021 December. We recorded raw voltage data for 45 of these bursts, enabling microseconds time resolution in some cases. We studied variation of spectro-temporal properties with time and activity phase. We find that the variation in dispersion measure (DM) is ≲1 pc cm ^−3 and that there is burst-to-burst variation in scattering time estimates ranging from ∼0.16 to over 2 ms, with no discernible trend with activity phase for either property. Furthermore, we find no DM and scattering variability corresponding to the recent change in rotation measure from the source, which has implications for the immediate environment of the source. We find that FRB 20180916B has thus far shown no epochs of heightened activity as have been seen in other active repeaters by CHIME/FRB, with its burst count consistent with originating from a Poissonian process. We also observe no change in the value of the activity period over the duration of our observations and set a 1 σ upper limit of 1.5 × 10 ^−4 day day ^−1 on the absolute period derivative. Finally, we discuss constraints on progenitor models yielded by our results, noting that our upper limits on changes in scattering and DM as a function of phase do not support models invoking a massive binary companion star as the origin of the 16.3 day periodicity.

We present the first X-ray census of fast radio burst (FRB) host galaxies to conduct the deepest search for active galactic nuclei (AGN) and X-ray counterparts to date. Our sample includes seven well-localized FRBs with unambiguous host associations and existing deep Chandra observations, including two events for which we present new observations. We find evidence for AGN in two FRB host galaxies based on the presence of X-ray emission coincident with their centers, including the detection of a luminous ( L _X ≈ 5 × 10 ^42 erg s ^−1 ) X-ray source at the nucleus of FRB 20190608B’s host, for which we infer an SMBH mass of M _BH ∼ 10 ^8 M _⊙ and an Eddington ratio L _bol / L _Edd ≈ 0.02, characteristic of geometrically thin disks in Seyfert galaxies. We also report nebular emission-line fluxes for 24 highly secure FRB hosts (including 10 hosts for the first time), and assess their placement on a BPT diagram, finding that FRB hosts trace the underlying galaxy population. We further find that the hosts of repeating FRBs are not confined to the star-forming locus, contrary to previous findings. Finally, we place constraints on associated X-ray counterparts to FRBs in the context of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), and find that existing X-ray limits for FRBs rule out ULXs brighter than L _X ≳ 10 ^40 erg s ^−1 . Leveraging the CHIME/FRB catalog and existing ULX catalogs, we search for spatially coincident ULX–FRB pairs. We identify a total of 28 ULXs spatially coincident with the localization regions for 17 FRBs, but find that the DM-inferred redshifts for the FRBs are inconsistent with the ULX redshifts, disfavoring an association between these specific ULX–FRB pairs.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief, energetic, typically extragalactic flashes of radio emission whose progenitors are largely unknown. Although studying the FRB population is essential for understanding how these astrophysical phenomena occur, such studies have been difficult to conduct without large numbers of FRBs and characterizable observational biases. Using the recently released catalog of 536 FRBs published by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment/Fast Radio Burst (CHIME/FRB) collaboration, we present a study of the FRB population that also calibrates for selection effects. Assuming a Schechter function, we infer a characteristic energy cut-off of ${E}_{\mathrm{char}}={2.38}_{-1.64}^{+5.35}\times {10}^{41}$ erg and a differential power-law index of γ = $-{1.3}_{-0.4}^{+0.7}$ . Simultaneously, we infer a volumetric rate of [ ${7.3}_{-3.8}^{+8.8}$ (stat.) ${}_{-1.8}^{+2.0}(\mathrm{sys}.)]\times {10}^{4}$ Gpc ^−3 yr ^−1 above a pivot energy of 10 ^39 erg and below a scattering timescale of 10 ms at 600 MHz, and find we cannot significantly constrain the cosmic evolution of the FRB population with star-formation rate. Modeling the host’s dispersion measure (DM) contribution as a log-normal distribution and assuming a total Galactic contribution of 80 pc cm ^−3 , we find a median value of ${\mathrm{DM}}_{\mathrm{host}}={84}_{-49}^{+69}$ pc cm ^−3 , comparable with values typically used in the literature. Proposed models for FRB progenitors should be consistent with the energetics and abundances of the full FRB population predicted by our results. Finally, we infer the redshift distribution of FRBs detected with CHIME, which will be tested with the localizations and redshifts enabled by the upcoming CHIME/FRB Outriggers project.

We search for gravitational-wave (GW) transients associated with fast radio bursts (FRBs) detected by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst Project, during the first part of the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo (2019 April 1 15:00 UTC–2019 October 1 15:00 UTC). Triggers from 22 FRBs were analyzed with a search that targets both binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star–black hole (NSBH) mergers. A targeted search for generic GW transients was conducted on 40 FRBs. We find no significant evidence for a GW association in either search. Given the large uncertainties in the distances of our FRB sample, we are unable to exclude the possibility of a GW association. Assessing the volumetric event rates of both FRB and binary mergers, an association is limited to 15% of the FRB population for BNS mergers or 1% for NSBH mergers. We report 90% confidence lower bounds on the distance to each FRB for a range of GW progenitor models and set upper limits on the energy emitted through GWs for a range of emission scenarios. We find values of order 10 ^51 –10 ^57 erg for models with central GW frequencies in the range 70–3560 Hz. At the sensitivity of this search, we find these limits to be above the predicted GW emissions for the models considered. We also find no significant coincident detection of GWs with the repeater, FRB 20200120E, which is the closest known extragalactic FRB.

We report on Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift) X-ray Telescope (XRT), and Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) observations of IGR J16493-4348, a wind-fed supergiant X-ray binary showing significant superorbital variability. From a discrete Fourier transform of the BAT light curve, we refine its superorbital period to be 20.058 ± 0.007 days. The BAT dynamic power spectrum and a fractional root mean square analysis both show strong variations in the amplitude of the superorbital modulation, but no observed changes in the period are found. The superorbital modulation is significantly weaker between MJD 55,700 and MJD 56,300. The joint NuSTAR and XRT observations, which were performed near the minimum and maximum of one cycle of the 20 day superorbital modulation, show that the flux increases by more than a factor of two between superorbital minimum and maximum. We find no significant changes in the 3–50 keV pulse profiles between superorbital minimum and maximum, which suggests a similar accretion regime. Modeling the pulse-phase-averaged spectra we find a possible Fe Kα emission line at 6.4 keV at superorbital maximum. This feature is not significant at superorbital minimum. While we do not observe any significant differences between the pulse-phase-averaged spectral continua apart from the overall flux change, we find that the hardness ratio near the broad main peak of the pulse profile increases from superorbital minimum to maximum. This suggests the spectral shape hardens with increasing luminosity. We discuss different mechanisms that might drive the observed superorbital modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IGR J16493–4348 is an eclipsing supergiant high-mass X-ray binary (sgHMXB), where accretion onto the compact object occurs via the radially outflowing stellar wind of its early B-type companion. We present an analysis of the system’s X-ray variability and periodic modulation using pointed observations (2.5–25 keV) and Galactic bulge scans (2–10 keV) from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) Proportional Counter Array (PCA), along with Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) 70-month snapshot (14–195 keV) and transient monitor (15–50 keV) observations. The orbital eclipse profiles from the PCA scan and BAT light curves are modeled using asymmetric and symmetric step and ramp functions. We obtain an improved orbital period measurement of 6.7828 ± 0.0004 days from an observed minus calculated (O–C) analysis of mid-eclipse times derived from the BAT transient monitor and PCA scan data. No evidence is found for the presence of a strong photoionization or accretion wake. We refine the superorbital period to 20.067 ± 0.009 days from the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of the BAT transient monitor light curve. A pulse period of 1093.1036 ± 0.0004 s is measured from a pulsar timing analysis using pointed PCA observations spanning ∼1.4 binary orbits. We present pulse times of arrival (ToAs), circular and eccentric timing models, and calculations of the system’s Keplerian binary orbital parameters. We derive an X-ray mass function of M⊙ and find a spectral type of B0.5 Ia for the supergiant companion through constraints on the mass and radius of the donor. Measurements of the eclipse half-angle and additional parameters describing the system geometry are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results from observations of the Galactic Center magnetar, PSR J1745–2900, at 2.3 and 8.4 GHz with the NASA Deep Space Network 70 m antenna, DSS-43. We study the magnetar’s radio profile shape, flux density, radio spectrum, and single pulse behavior over a ∼1 year period between MJDs 57233 and 57621. In particular, the magnetar exhibits a significantly negative average spectral index of when the 8.4 GHz profile is single-peaked, which flattens considerably when the profile is double-peaked. We have carried out an analysis of single pulses at 8.4 GHz on MJD 57479 and find that giant pulses and pulses with multiple emission components are emitted during a significant number of rotations. The resulting single pulse flux density distribution is incompatible with a log-normal distribution. The typical pulse width of the components is ∼1.8 ms, and the prevailing delay time between successive components is ∼7.7 ms. Many of the single pulse emission components show significant frequency structure over bandwidths of ∼100 MHz, which we believe is the first observation of such behavior from a radio magnetar. We report a characteristic single pulse broadening timescale of at 8.4 GHz. We find that the pulse broadening is highly variable between emission components and cannot be explained by a thin scattering screen at distances ≳ 1 kpc. We discuss possible intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms for the magnetar’s emission and compare our results to other magnetars, high magnetic field pulsars, and fast radio bursts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]