Context

Intense pulses of radio waves known as fast radio bursts (FRB) that have been frequently detected in other galaxies, have now been found in the Milky Way, new studies have shown.

About

Fast radio bursts (FRB)

• FRBs were first discovered in 2007 and there are still many gaps in information regarding them. A number of theories have been suggested about the causes of FRBs including alien starships and colliding black holes.
• Many theories have also suggested that FRBs are caused by neutron stars, that are the corpses of stars which died in explosions called supernovas.
• The latest studies have now confirmed that FRBs are in fact generated by a rare type of neutron star known as a ‘magnetar’.
  • Magnetars are the most powerful magnets in the cosmos.
  • Their magnetic fields are 5,000 trillion times more powerful than that of the Earth.

Source of FRB

• The source of the FRB was traced to a magnetar known as SGR 1935+2154, located about 30,000 light-years from the earth.
  • It lies in the centre of the Milky Way, in the constellation
• The FRB generated by this magnetar was so powerful that it emitted as much energy in one millisecond as the sun does in 30 seconds, according to the scientists.
• The FRB was not only the closest such signal ever recorded near the Earth. It was also 3,000 times brighter than any other magnetar radio signal detected till now.
• The scientists also concluded that most FRBs in other galaxies also were generated by magnetars.

Significance of the Study

• This discovery makes it plausible that most fast radio bursts come from magnetars.
• Until now, astronomers have been struggling to explain why some FRBs aren’t one-off events like supernova explosions but seem to repeat themselves instead. Magnetars could provide the answer, since they spin slowly and flare periodically, like a lighthouse beacon.