A Search for FRB 121102-like Persistent Radio-luminous Sources—Candidates and Implications for the FRB Rate and Searches

Ofek, E. O.

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa8310

Cited by 25 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…The dashed vertical curve marks t age for this model, for which the GHz band light-curve is near its peak. Additionally shown is data from the transient radio source J1419+3940 recently discovered by Law et al (2018) in a small star-forming galaxy with remarkably similar properties to the host of FRB 121102 (Ofek 2017). Although this event could represent the orphan radio afterglow of a long GRB, our modeling supplies some additional support for the magnetar nebula hypothesis.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 74%

A Concordance Picture of FRB 121102 as a Flaring Magnetar Embedded in a Magnetized Ion–Electron Wind Nebula

Margalit

Metzger

2018

ApJL

219

212

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The fast radio burst FRB 121102 has repeated multiple times, enabling the identification of its host galaxy and of a spatially-coincident, compact, steady ('persistent') radio synchrotron source. It was proposed that FRB 121102 is powered by a young flaring magnetar, embedded within a decadesold supernova remnant. Using a time-dependent one-zone model, we show that a single expanding magnetized electron-ion nebula (created by the same outbursts likely responsible for the FRBs) can explain all the basic properties of the persistent source (size, flux, self-absorption constraints) and the large but decreasing rotation measure (RM) of the bursts. The persistent emission is powered by relativistic thermal electrons heated at the termination shock of the magnetar wind, while the RM originates from non-relativistic electrons injected earlier in the nebula's evolution and cooled through expansion and radiative losses. The model contains few free parameters, which are tightly constrained by observations: the total energy injected into the nebula over its history, ∼ 10 50 −10 51 erg, agrees with the magnetic energy of a millisecond magnetar; the baryon loading of the magnetar outflow (driven by intermittent flares) is close to the neutron star escape speed; the predicted source age ∼ 10 − 40 years is consistent with other constraints on the nebula size. For an energy input rateĖ ∝ t −α following the onset of magnetar activity, we predict secular decay of the RM and persistent source flux, which approximately follow RM ∝ t −(6+α)/2 and F ν ∝ t −(α 2 +7α−2)/4 , respectively.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 74%

A Concordance Picture of FRB 121102 as a Flaring Magnetar Embedded in a Magnetized Ion–Electron Wind Nebula

Margalit

Metzger

2018

ApJL

219

212

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“…The first precise localization of an FRB revealed an unambiguous association with a luminous, persistent synchrotron radio source (Chatterjee et al 2017). Under the assumption that at least a subset of FRBs should have luminous persistent radio counterparts, Ofek (2017) identified 122 potential FRB hosts by identifying radio sources seen toward galaxies. In most cases, the radio sources are active galactic nuclei that reside in the centers of their host galaxies.…”

Section: Discoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of the Luminous, Decades-long, Extragalactic Radio Transient FIRST J141918.9+394036

Law

Gaensler

Metzger

et al. 2018

ApJL

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We present the discovery of a slowly-evolving, extragalactic radio transient, FIRST J141918.9+394036, identified by comparing a catalog of radio sources in nearby galaxies against new observations from the Very Large Array Sky Survey. Analysis of other archival data shows that FIRST J141918.9+394036 faded by a factor of ∼50 over 23 years, from a flux of ∼26 mJy at 1.4 GHz in 1993 to an upper limit of 0.4 mJy at 3 GHz in 2017. FIRST J141918.9+394036 is likely associated with the small star-forming galaxy SDSS J141918.81+394035.8 at a redshift z = 0.01957 (d = 87 Mpc), which implies a peak luminosity νL ν 3×10 38 erg s −1 . If interpreted as an isotropic synchrotron blast wave, the source requires an explosion of kinetic energy ∼ 10 51 erg some time prior to our first detection in late 1993. This explosion could plausibly be associated with a long gamma-ray burst (GRB) or the merger of two neutron stars. Alternatively, FIRST J141918.9+394036 could be the nebula of a newly-born magnetar. The radio discovery of any of these phenomena would be unprecedented. Joint consideration of the event light curve, host galaxy, lack of a counterpart gamma-ray burst, and volumetric rate suggests that FIRST J141918.9+394036 is the afterglow of an off-axis ("orphan") long GRB. The long time baseline of this event offers the best available constraint in afterglow evolution as the bulk of shock-accelerated electrons become non-relativistic. The proximity, age, and precise localization of FIRST J141918.9+394036 make it a key object for understanding the aftermath of rare classes of stellar explosion.

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“…Based on the properties of FRB 121102's persistent radio source and host galaxy, Ofek (2017) identified a number of similar sources in the Very Large Array (VLA) FIRST catalogue. Law et al (2018) showed that one of these sources, FIRST J141918.9+394036 (hereafter FIRST J1419+3940) is a slowly declining transient.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resolving the Decades-long Transient FIRST J141918.9+394036: An Orphan Long Gamma-Ray Burst or a Young Magnetar Nebula?

Marcote

Nimmo

Salafia

et al. 2019

ApJL

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Ofek (2017) identified FIRST J141918.9+394036 (hereafter FIRST J1419+3940) as a radio source sharing similar properties and host galaxy type to the compact, persistent radio source associated with the first known repeating fast radio burst, FRB 121102. Law et al. (2018) showed that FIRST J1419+3940 is a transient source decaying in brightness over the last few decades. One possible interpretation is that FIRST J1419+3940 is a nearby analogue to FRB 121102 and that the radio emission represents a young magnetar nebula (as several scenarios assume for FRB 121102). Another interpretation is that FIRST J1419+3940 is the afterglow of an 'orphan' long gamma-ray burst (GRB). The environment is similar to where most such events are produced. To distinguish between these hypotheses, we conducted radio observations using the European VLBI Network at 1.6 GHz to spatially resolve the emission and to search for millisecond-duration radio bursts. We detect FIRST J1419+3940 as a compact radio source with a flux density of 620 ± 20 µJy (on 2018 September 18) and a source size of 3.9 ± 0.7 mas (i.e. 1.6 ± 0.3 pc given the angular diameter distance of 83 Mpc). These results confirm that the radio emission is non-thermal and imply an average expansion velocity of (0.10 ± 0.02)c. Contemporaneous high-time-resolution observations using the 100-m Effelsberg telescope detected no millisecond-duration bursts of astrophysical origin. The source properties and lack of short-duration bursts are consistent with a GRB jet expansion, whereas they disfavor a magnetar birth nebula.

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A Search for FRB 121102-like Persistent Radio-luminous Sources—Candidates and Implications for the FRB Rate and Searches

Cited by 25 publications

References 59 publications

A Concordance Picture of FRB 121102 as a Flaring Magnetar Embedded in a Magnetized Ion–Electron Wind Nebula

A Concordance Picture of FRB 121102 as a Flaring Magnetar Embedded in a Magnetized Ion–Electron Wind Nebula

Discovery of the Luminous, Decades-long, Extragalactic Radio Transient FIRST J141918.9+394036

Resolving the Decades-long Transient FIRST J141918.9+394036: An Orphan Long Gamma-Ray Burst or a Young Magnetar Nebula?

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