Repeating Fast Radio Bursts From Highly Magnetized Pulsars Traveling Through Asteroid Belts

Abstract

Very recently Spitler et al. (2016) and Scholz et al. (2016) reported their detections of sixteen additional bright bursts from the direction of the fast radio burst (FRB) 121102. This repeating FRB is inconsistent with all the catastrophic event models put forward previously for hypothetically nonrepeating FRBs. Here we propose a different model, in which highly magnetized pulsars travel through asteroid belts of other stars. We show that a repeating FRB could originate from such a pulsar encountering lots of asteroids in the belt. During each pulsar-asteroid impact, an electric field induced outside the asteroid has such a large component parallel to the stellar magnetic field that electrons are torn off the asteroidal surface and accelerated to ultra-relativistic energies instantaneously. Subsequent movement of these electrons along magnetic field lines will cause coherent curvature radiation, which can account for all the properties of an FRB. In addition, this model can self-consistently explain the typical duration, luminosity, and repetitive rate of the seventeen bursts of FRB 121102. The predicted occurrence rate of repeating FRB sources may imply that our model would be testable in the next few years.

SGR-like behaviour of the repeating FRB 121102

“…In this section, we will test theoretical models predictions with statistical results. Dai et al (2016) proposed that the repeating bursts can be produced from lots of asteroids encountering with highly magnetized pulsar [28]. In order to explain observation, the diameters of asteroids are small, i.e., L < 5km [28].…”

“…Dai et al (2016) proposed that the repeating bursts can be produced from lots of asteroids encountering with highly magnetized pulsar [28]. In order to explain observation, the diameters of asteroids are small, i.e., L < 5km [28]. From their equation (2), the differential frequency distribution of diameter L of asteroids is predicted to dN/dL = dN/dW × dW/dL, with duration time W .…”

Burst Astrophysics

“…Very recently, 16 additional bright bursts in the direction of FRB 121102 were detected (see [34] and references inhere). According to the authors of paper [34]:…”

A “Cosmic Comb” Model of Fast Radio Bursts

“…The magnetar giant flare model (Popov & Postnov 2010;Kulkarni et al 2014;Katz 2016c) is in apparent conflict with the non-detection of bright radio pulse from the SGR 1806-20 giant flare (Tendulkar et al 2016). Other repeating models (e.g., Dai et al 2016b;Gu et al 2016) invoke specific physical conditions. These models also cannot account for the apparent association of FRB 131104 with the gamma-ray transient Swift J0644.…”