Mysterious energy flash, brighter than a galaxy, traveled 8 billion light years to reach Earth

Using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have made an extraordinary discovery in an unexpected location. They detected a fast radio burst named FRB-20220610A — a fleeting, incredibly bright flash of energy that can outshine an entire galaxy for a mere fraction of a second.

While hundreds of FRBs have been observed in recent years, the origins of these intense bursts of radiation remain shrouded in mystery.

Fast radio burst named FRB 20220610A

This particular FRB is truly baffling, as it originated from a point halfway across the universe, making it the farthest and most powerful example known to date.

Subsequent Hubble observations have further deepened the mystery. The FRB was detected in what appears to be an unlikely place — a collection of galaxies that existed when the universe was only 5 billion years old. This is quite unusual, as the majority of previous FRBs have been found in isolated galaxies.

FRB 20220610A was initially spotted on June 10, 2022, by the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope in Western Australia.

The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile later confirmed that the FRB originated from a distant location. Remarkably, this FRB was observed to be four times more energetic than FRBs that occur closer to us.

Understanding fast radio bursts

Lead author Alexa Gordon of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, highlights the vital role played by Hubble in pinpointing the FRB’s source.

“It required Hubble’s keen sharpness and sensitivity to pinpoint exactly where the FRB came from,” said Gordon.

“Without Hubble’s imaging, it would still remain a mystery as to whether this was originating from one monolithic galaxy or from some type of interacting system. It’s these types of environments – these weird ones – that are driving us toward better understanding the mystery of FRBs.”

The crisp images captured by Hubble suggest that this FRB may have originated in an environment where as many as seven galaxies are on a possible path to merging.

This finding holds significant implications for researchers, as co-investigator Wen-fai Fong, also of Northwestern University, explains.

“We are ultimately trying to answer the questions: What causes them? What are their progenitors and what are their origins? The Hubble observations provide a spectacular view of the surprising types of environments that give rise to these mysterious events.”

These energy flashes remain a mystery

While astronomers have yet to reach a consensus on the specific mechanism behind FRBs, it is generally believed that they involve compact objects such as black holes or neutron stars.

Of particular interest is a subtype of neutron star known as a magnetar. These incredibly magnetic stars possess fields so strong that they have the potential to cause havoc.

As an example, if a magnetar were located halfway between Earth and the Moon, it would erase the magnetic strip on every credit card in the world.

In a worse-case scenario, an astronaut venturing within a few hundred miles of a magnetar would be dissolved, as the intense magnetic forces would disrupt every atom in their body.

Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the origin of these energy flashes involving magnetars.

One possibility is a violent starquake, while another involves the snapping and reconnecting of a magnetar’s twisting magnetic field lines. Such an event would be akin to what occurs during solar flares on the Sun.

However, the magnetic field of a magnetar is a trillion times stronger than the Sun’s, potentially generating the intense flash observed in an FRB or even producing a shock wave that incinerates surrounding dust and heats gas into a plasma.

Magnetars are the key suspects

Different scenarios may give rise to magnetars. For instance, it could be the result of objects orbiting a black hole encircled by a disk of material.

Alternatively, a pair of orbiting neutron stars with periodically interacting magnetospheres could create a space where eruptions occur.

In the near future, experiments studying FRBs, such as FRB-20220610A, will enhance their sensitivity, leading to an unprecedented number of FRBs detected at vast distances.

Crucially, Hubble will play a pivotal role in characterizing the environments in which these enigmatic bursts occur. It is in this pursuit that astronomers hope to uncover the secrets behind FRBs.

As Gordon concludes, “We just need to keep finding more of these FRBs, both nearby and far away, and in all these different types of environments.”

In summary, the discovery of this distant and powerful energy flash, FRB-20220610A, raises more questions than answers.

However, thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope’s exceptional capabilities, astronomers are one step closer to unraveling the mysteries of FRBs and their origins.

More about magnetars and energy flashes

As mentioned above, magnetars stand out as some of the most intriguing and powerful entities. These neutron stars are remnants of massive stars that have exploded in supernovae.

They are distinguished by their extraordinarily strong magnetic fields, which can be over a trillion times stronger than Earth’s.

Understanding magnetars offers insights into the extremes of the universe and the laws of physics under the most intense conditions.

Formation and characteristics

Magnetars begin their life as stars much more massive than our Sun. When these stars exhaust their nuclear fuel, their cores collapse, leading to a massive energy flash called a supernova explosion.

This catastrophic event births a neutron star, a city-sized, incredibly dense object composed primarily of neutrons. In some of these neutron stars, the magnetic field, already strong, undergoes an amplification process, becoming a magnetar.

The magnetic field of a magnetar is so strong that it dominates almost every aspect of the star’s environment. It’s powerful enough to affect atoms, distorting their shape into narrow, cigar-like forms.

This immense magnetic field is believed to be the result of a dynamo mechanism occurring within the rapidly spinning, fluid neutron star.

Energetic outbursts and anomalies

Magnetars are famous for their spectacular outbursts of gamma rays and X-rays, phenomena that can release more energy in a fraction of a second than our Sun will emit in 100,000 years.

These outbursts are thought to be caused by the star’s unstable magnetic field, which can twist and snap like a colossal cosmic spring.

These neutron stars also exhibit unique rotational behaviors. Unlike regular pulsars, whose spin rates are relatively stable, magnetars often show irregular spin-down rates. This erratic behavior is likely due to the interaction between the magnetar’s magnetic field and its surrounding environment.

Significance of magnetars and their energy flashes

Studying magnetars offers astrophysicists a rare window into the behavior of matter and energy under the most extreme conditions. The physics governing these stars tests our understanding of neutron-rich matter, the behavior of magnetic fields, and the limits of the quantum world.

Magnetars also play a crucial role in broader cosmic phenomena. For instance, they are considered as possible sources of the mysterious Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). As discussed above regarding FRB-20220610A, FRBs are intense blasts of radio waves that have puzzled astronomers since their discovery.

In summary, magnetars, with their immense magnetic fields and energetic outbursts, are keys to unlocking some of the most profound mysteries of the cosmos.

As astronomers continue to observe and study these extraordinary stars, we can expect to deepen our understanding of the universe and the fundamental laws that govern it.

In this journey, magnetars stand as beacons, guiding us through the uncharted territories of extreme physics.

The results were presented at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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