NEW DELHI – In a recent discussion at the PM Museum and Library (PMML), Nehru Planetarium, world-renowned astrophysicist Professor Duncan Lorimer, known for leading the discovery of the first Fast Radio Burst (FRB), emphasized the expanding nature of the universe. Lorimer, a Fellow of the Royal Society and professor of physics and astronomy at West Virginia University, stated that upcoming telescopes in the US and Canada will aid in uncovering deeper mysteries of the cosmos.
FRBs are intensely bright, millisecond-long flashes of radio waves originating from deep space, often billions of light-years away. These high-energy events can release as much energy in a fraction of a second as the sun emits over several weeks. The first FRB, known as the 'Lorimer burst', was discovered by Lorimer and his student David Narkevic in 2007 while analyzing archival pulsar survey data. Since then, thousands of FRBs have been detected, with their origins remaining a subject of intense investigation.
During his discussion, Lorimer lauded Indian researchers Shami Chatterjee and Shriharsh Tendulkar, who are his colleagues, for their significant contributions to identifying the host galaxy and origin of repeating Fast Radio Bursts. Chatterjee and Tendulkar explained that FRBs are extragalactic radio flashes of unknown origin. Their work, along with others, is helping to unravel the mystery surrounding these cosmic phenomena.
The precise cause of FRBs is still unknown, with explanations ranging from rapidly rotating neutron stars and black holes to more speculative ideas. Some theories suggest that FRBs could originate from magnetars, neutron stars with extremely powerful magnetic fields, or from the merger of compact objects. A recent study from IIT Bombay proposes that FRBs are generated when high-frequency gravitational waves interact with strong magnetic fields.
When questioned about the possibility of extraterrestrial communication via FRBs, Lorimer stated that some FRBs might have unexpected characteristics, and further analysis of the increasing number of detected signals could reveal anomalous components potentially linked to alien intelligence.
Ashwani Lohani, director of PMML, highlighted the significance of hosting Professor Lorimer, emphasizing the event's role in inspiring curiosity and promoting scientific understanding among students, researchers, and the public. Lorimer also interacted with students, explaining the origin and characteristics of neutron stars, black holes, and radio bursts from distant galaxies.
The study of FRBs has become a major scientific goal in astronomy, with researchers using these bursts to probe the distribution of matter in the universe and investigate the era when the first stars formed. Recent observations have led to the detection of the brightest FRB to date, named RBFLOAT, which originated 130 million light-years from Earth. The burst’s brightness and proximity have allowed scientists to study FRBs and their environments in unprecedented detail.