China’s FAST telescope achieves milestone

China’s FAST Telescope Achieves Milestone: Detection of Scintillation Arc in Fast Radio Burst

Beijing, The Gulf Observer: Astronomers have achieved a significant milestone by detecting a scintillation arc in the spectrum of a fast radio burst (FRB) for the first time, utilizing China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), recognized as the world’s largest single-dish and most sensitive radio telescope.

FRBs, enigmatic radio flashes lasting mere thousandths of a second, were first confirmed to emanate from the cosmos in 2016, yet their origins remain a mystery. Led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ National Astronomical Observatories, an international group presented an interstellar scintillation analysis of fast radio burst (FRB) 20220912A during its highly active episode in 2022.

As detailed in a recent study published in the journal Science China Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy, the observed arc suggests that the scintillation may be attributed to the ionized interstellar medium, the material occupying the space between stars. This breakthrough contributes to advancing our understanding of these elusive cosmic phenomena.

This groundbreaking discovery not only represents a significant stride in understanding fast radio bursts (FRBs) but also introduces a novel approach to examining the medium through which these mysterious cosmic phenomena propagate, including considerations of their potential orbital motion. The researchers, as detailed in the study, have elucidated a method for detecting the scintillation arc, a technique deemed applicable to sources featuring irregularly spaced bursts or pulses.

James Cordes from Cornell University highlighted the utility of this method, emphasizing its potential in identifying the host galaxy of FRBs and exploring the characteristics of the interstellar medium within the Milky Way. The study’s findings present a valuable tool for broader astronomical research. The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), operational since January 2020 in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, stands at the forefront of this scientific breakthrough, leveraging its unparalleled sensitivity as the world’s most advanced radio telescope.