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arXiv · 1709.02189

Fast radio bursts: recent discoveries and future prospects

E. Petroff
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Abstract

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are quickly becoming a subject of intense interest in time-domain astronomy. The progenitors of FRBs remain unknown but a wide variety of models exist from cataclysmic to repeating scenarios. Advances in FRB detection using current and next-generation radio telescopes will enable the growth of the population in the next few years. Real-time discovery of FRBs is now possible with 6 sources detected in real-time within the past 2 years at the Parkes telescope. Here we discuss the developing strategies for maximising real-time science with FRBs including polarisation capture and multi-wavelength follow-up, with particular focus on real-time detections with the Parkes telescope as a test bed for fast radio burst science. We also discuss how our response to these events can pave the way for the next generation of FRB searches with wide-field interferometers.

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E. Petroff. 2017-09-07. Fast radio bursts: recent discoveries and future prospects. https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.02189

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