An international research team using China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) has uncovered groundbreaking evidence supporting a binary-system origin for fast radio bursts (FRBs), shedding light on one of astrophysics' most perplexing phenomena. The findings, published in Science, stem from observations of FRB 20220529—a repeating burst located 2.9 billion light-years away—conducted since 2022.
A Magnetic Breakthrough
By monitoring the Faraday rotation measure (RM), a key indicator of magnetic environments, scientists detected a sudden 20-fold surge in RM variability in December 2023. This reversible shift, observed over two weeks, suggests the FRB's signals passed through a dense plasma cloud—a phenomenon best explained by a binary system involving a neutron star and a magnetized companion.
FAST's Unmatched Precision
"This discovery showcases FAST's unparalleled sensitivity," said Wu Xuefeng of the Purple Mountain Observatory. The telescope, operational since 2020 in Guizhou Province, enabled detection of faint bursts invisible to other facilities. Its 500-meter dish—equivalent to 30 football fields—has positioned China at the forefront of cosmic research.
Global Implications
Duncan Lorimer, a West Virginia University astrophysicist, praised the findings as "remarkable," emphasizing FAST's role in advancing FRB studies. Future upgrades, including a planned array of medium-aperture antennas around FAST, aim to enhance resolution and sensitivity, transforming it into a "super cosmic probe" for unraveling deeper astrophysical puzzles.
Collaborative efforts with new telescopes in Qinghai and Antarctica will further cross-validate findings across multiple frequency bands, accelerating humanity's quest to decode the universe's secrets.
