Most distant fast radio burst yet traced to galaxy 3 billion years after the big bang

Left · 2A study published in Science reports the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) yet detected, named FRB 20240304B, whose radio waves travelled for more than 10 billion years before reaching Earth. 1 2 Left · 2The burst was recorded in 2024 by the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa, and the James Webb Space Telescope was then used to identify its host galaxy, which existed about 3 billion years after the big bang. 1 2 Left · 1The Guardian says the burst travelled through "approximately 80% of cosmic history" and is believed to be more than double the previous distance record. 2

Left · 1The ABC reports that the burst's dispersion measure, about 2,400 units against the few hundred to a thousand typical for FRBs, told the team it came from very far away. 1 Left · 2The host is a small galaxy forming stars rapidly with few heavy elements; Manisha Caleb of the University of Sydney, described by the ABC as lead author, called it a "puny little dwarf galaxy" that was unexpected. 1 2 Left · 1The Guardian quotes Dr Themiya Nanayakkara, also of the University of Sydney and described as one of the lead researchers, saying that whatever causes FRBs must be able to operate in very young, metal-poor galaxies. 2

Left · 2What produces FRBs remains unknown. The first was found in 2007 with the Parkes telescope in Australia, and magnetars (neutron stars with very strong magnetic fields) are one candidate; Ryan Shannon of Swinburne University, who was not involved, said more than one mechanism may exist. 1 2 Left · 2The sources describe the bursts' energy differently: the ABC quotes Caleb saying an FRB emits in milliseconds as much energy as the Sun would over several days, while the Guardian says as much as the sun does in months or years. 1 2 Left · 2Researchers say distant FRBs could map matter in the universe, including the cosmic web, because the bursts are affected by the material they pass through; Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University called the result "a validation of how powerful the FRBs are for probing the universe". 1 2

Left · 1More than 10,000 FRBs have been detected since 2007, according to the Guardian; some repeat and some do not, and whether this one will repeat is not yet known. 2