On January 22, 2025, astronomers reported a significant finding regarding fast radio bursts (FRBs), revealing that one such event appears to originate from a dead galaxy that is no longer forming new stars. This discovery was detailed in a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, alongside a related study from Northwestern University.
Fast radio bursts are characterized by sudden blasts of radio-frequency radiation lasting only a few microseconds. To date, over a thousand FRBs have been detected, with some originating from sources that emit bursts repeatedly, while others are one-off events. The nature of these phenomena has led scientists to investigate potential sources, particularly compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes, with a focus on magnetars, a specific type of neutron star.
Approximately 3 percent of FRBs are classified as repeating, indicating that their sources may survive the explosive events. Conversely, many FRBs do not repeat, suggesting that their origins may involve conditions that destroy the source, consistent with a phenomenon known as a blitzar, which occurs due to the collapse of an overly massive neutron star.
Last July, observations of polarized light from FRBs provided further insights, supporting the theory that repeating and non-repeating FRBs have different origins. A rare burst earlier this month indicated that FRBs likely originate near stars and share characteristics with pulsar emissions, another neutron star subtype. This burst also suggested that intense magnetic fields associated with magnetars might drive these events, although it remains possible that multiple mechanisms could produce FRB-like emissions.