A link between repeating and non-repeating fast radio bursts through their energy distributions

作者：F. Kirsten, O. Ould-Boukattine, W. Herrmann, M. Gawroński, J. Hessels, W. Lu, M. Snelders, P. Chawla, J. Yang, R. Blaauw, K. Nimmo, W. Puchalska, P. Wolak, R. van Ruiten · 发表于：Nature Astronomy · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1038/s41550-023-02153-z · 被引用次数：48

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are extremely energetic, millisecond-duration radio flashes that reach Earth from extragalactic distances. Broadly speaking, FRBs can be classified as repeating or (apparently) non-repeating. It is still unclear, however, whether the two types share a common physical origin and differ only in their activity rate. Here we report on an observing campaign that targeted one hyperactive repeating source, FRB 20201124A, for more than 2,000 h using four 25–32 m class radio telescopes. We detected 46 high-energy bursts, many more than one would expect given previous observations of lower-energy bursts using larger radio telescopes. We find a high-energy burst distribution that resembles that of the non-repeating FRB population, suggesting that apparently non-repeating FRB sources may simply be the rarest bursts from repeating sources. Also, we discuss how FRB 20201124A contributes strongly to the all-sky FRB rate and how similar sources would be observable even at very high redshift. A hyperactive fast radio burst source has been observed for thousands of hours using relatively small telescopes. The energy distribution of the brightest bursts detected suggests a possible link between repeating and apparently non-repeating burst sources.