Development of commensal FRB search engine for VERA and observational studies of transient sources

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H01116
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Astronomy
• Research Institution: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
• Principal Investigator: Honma Mareki 国立天文台, 水沢VLBI観測所, 教授 (20332166)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 池田 思朗 統計数理研究所, 数理・推論研究系, 教授 (30336101) ; 寺澤 敏夫 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 主任研究員研究室等, 研究員 (30134662)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 時間領域天文学 / 突発天体 / 高速電波バースト(FRB) / パルサー / VLBI

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Fast Radio Burst (FRB) is a mysterious radio-astronomical phenomenon in which a radio pulse of about ~1 millisecond is observed at GHz band. We have developed a backend system for FRB observations as well as software for its data analysis and have carried out FRB observations using radio telescopes in Japan. Observations were conducted mainly on three repeating FRBs, and one of them, FRB 20201124A (repeating FRB at z = 0.098), has been successfully detected. This is the first FRB detection by a radio telescope in Japan. In addition, the detected burst exhibited substantial difference from the previous suggestion, in which non-repeating FRBs are significantly brighter than repeating FRBs and thus they are different populations. Our FRB detection emphasizes the importance of further follow-up observations for revealing the nature of FRBs.

Free Research Field

電波天文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

Fast Radio Burst(FRB)と呼ばれる正体不明の電波バースト現象の観測研究のため、国内の電波望遠鏡でその信号を検出するシステムと解析ソフトを開発した。それに基づいて３天体の再帰型FRBの観測を行ったところ、１天体で電波バーストを検出することに成功した。これは、日本の電波望遠鏡を用いたものとして初めての検出であり、日本のおけるFRBの観測研究の幕開けとなるマイルストーンとなった。