arXiv subjects

Laura G. Spitler

Publications and source records attributed to Laura G. Spitler.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Probing the Baryon Distribution with Fast Radio Bursts

Baryonic feedback redistributes matter on small to mid cosmological scales, ultimately limiting inferences from Stage IV galaxy surveys. Direct baryon tracers are crucial for recovering cosmological signals masked by astrophysical effects, and vice versa: galaxy formation and other astrophysical processes must be interpreted cosmologically. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) serve as such tracers: their dispersion measure (DM) records the line-of-sight integrated ionised electron density. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be the only radio telescope capable of detecting many FRBs in the southern hemisphere, significantly enhancing synergy with surveys such as Rubin Observatory. This chapter completes the FRB trilogy by forecasting the SKA's potential to constrain the baryon distribution from cosmological to galactic scales and across cosmic time. We tackle this question by investigating the DM scatter as a function of redshift. We also study the statistical properties of the DM field and its cross-correlation with Stage IV galaxy surveys. Our focus is on cosmic shear and galaxy clustering. This shows that the SKA can play a crucial role in pinpointing baryonic feedback models, thereby greatly enhancing the cosmological constraining power of Stage IV galaxy surveys. Furthermore, we show that the SKA will be able to measure the properties of the circumgalactic medium using the scattering timescale of FRBs. Lastly, the large redshift range of FRB detections with the SKA can improve our understanding of the epoch of reionisation. It may also clarify the mechanism behind FRBs.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

Fast Radio Bursts as Cosmological Probes

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief, coherent radio pulses of extragalactic origin. They typically last from microseconds to milliseconds and have energies large enough to be visible over cosmological distances. Since FRBs interact with free electrons along their paths, the original burst is dispersed (Dispersion Measure, DM) and broadened (scattering). Furthermore, the burst's polarization is altered by Faraday rotation. Consequently, FRBs are excellent probes of the cosmological distribution of baryons, the expansion of the Universe, magnetic fields, and minuscule effects of fundamental physics that accumulate over vast distances. This chapter is the second of a trilogy of FRB chapters and discusses FRBs as a standalone probe. We first introduce the foundation of FRB observables related to those questions. Next, we lay the groundwork for forecasting SKA's potential by describing the method to simulate the expected FRB population observable with the SKA. These synthetic FRB catalogues are then used to investigate the SKA's potential to probe the Universe's expansion rate and fundamental physics, such as the equivalence principle and the existence of massive photons. Furthermore, we investigate the possibility of tracing cosmic magnetic fields and investigating different dark matter candidates.

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arXiv2026

The Astrophysics of Fast Radio Bursts

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) provide a glimpse of high-energy astrophysical phenomena in other galaxies. They point the way to extreme conditions that are currently undetectable by any other known means. These coherent radio flashes have timescales of microseconds to milliseconds, and inferred energies that are comparable to those of the most extreme bursts seen from Galactic neutron stars. However, the nature of FRB sources remains an open question in astrophysics. Magnetically powered neutron stars known as `magnetars' are a leading candidate for explaining the FRB phenomenon, but other plausible progenitors include magnetically interacting neutron-star binaries or accreting black holes. The diversity of FRB burst types and their galactic environments hint that multiple mechanisms and progenitor types may be responsible. Here we discuss the ways in which the SKA can uncover the nature of FRBs. In particular, we focus on the key advantages of the SKA: its Southern Hemisphere location and hence overlapping sky coverage with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, its high sensitivity compared to existing wide-field FRB surveys, its fast search timescales down to tens of $μ$s, and its broad spectral coverage with bands from 50 MHz to 15 GHz. With these capabilities, the SKA will excel in detecting FRB sources across new frequency ranges and timescales. This will aid in a better understanding of the fundamental astrophysics behind FRBs, which will in turn also contribute to their use as cosmological probes, as explored in companion chapters.

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arXiv2026

On the polarization position angle jumps in FRB 20240114A

Fast radio bursts (FRBs), thought to originate from magnetars, exhibit diverse polarization properties that constrain their emission physics and local magneto-ionic environments. The polarization position angle (PPA) is particularly sensitive to magnetic-field geometry in the emitting region and propagation effects in the magnetosphere and beyond. In hyper-active repeaters, PPAs are typically stable within bursts and over timescales of hours to days. Here, we present observations of the repeating source FRB~20240114A, which show significant burst-to-burst PPA variations. Using full-Stokes, high-time-resolution observations from the Nançay Radio Telescope (1.1--1.8\,GHz) and the Effelsberg 100-m telescope (1.3--1.5\,GHz) over $\sim1$~year, we measure rotation measures (RMs), polarization fractions, and time-resolved PPAs across 12 epochs. The RMs remain stable, and the emission is predominantly highly linearly polarized, with $\sim81\%$ of bursts showing $L/I > 0.8$, while circular polarization is weaker ($\sim16\%$ with $|V/I| > 0.1$). We find no evidence for Faraday conversion. The PPA exhibits rapid, stochastic variations from milliseconds to hours, spanning $\pm90^\circ$ during two active periods and $\pm50^\circ$ in a third. The distribution of PPA jumps shows that (1) there is no difference in the distribution of jumps on timescales shorter or longer than 1\,s; (2) positive and negative jumps are equally likely; and (3) a jump of $\pm90^\circ$, as expected from, e.g., orthogonal mode jumps, is not more common than any other value. This combination of stable RM, high linear polarization, and extreme PPA variability is not seen in other hyper-active repeaters. These results disfavor emission from a single fixed region and instead suggest multiple emission regions and/or strong magnetospheric and foreground propagation effects, such as plasma lensing.

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arXiv2026

A MeerKAT search for persistent radio sources towards twenty-five localised Fast Radio Bursts

The discovery of persistent radio sources (PRSs) associated with repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) has shed light on the immediate environments and possible progenitors of these FRBs. The confirmed PRSs may support the theory that FRB progenitors are compact central engines, whilst the non-detections suggest diversity of FRB's local environment. We perform a subarcsecond-resolution MeerKAT search at 1.28 GHz on 25 well-localised FRB positions provided by ASKAP and MeerTRAP. We detect 14 radio sources and provide flux upper limits for 12 non-detections (both these numbers include a source that was detected during two epochs of observation, and not detected during one epoch, adding up to 26). One radio source shows variability as seen in flux variations over three epochs of observation. Archival optical data reveal excesses in the direction of 13 detected radio sources. Similarly for four sources in the X-ray band, with one possibly being a high-energy signature of a radio galaxy core. Since we cannot definitively classify our detected radio sources as PRSs, future high-resolution observations with e-MERLIN will be required to resolve the radio emission and pronounce on the presence of compact PRSs associated with the 14 detected sources presented here.

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arXiv2025

Searching for radio emission from radio quiet magnetars with MeerKAT

Magnetars occupy the neutron star population, with magnetic field strengths of more than 10e12 G. They have been proposed as one of the most likely progenitor models for the phenomenon of energetic, ms-duration, extragalactic radio bursts (FRBs) intensively since FRB-like bursts emitted from the galactic Magnetar SGR 1935+2154. Only a low fraction of the magnetars (six in total) has been detected in the radio regime and most magnetars are radio quiet. We conducted regular observations of 13 radio quiet magnetars to probe the long term radio quietness using MeerKAT. These provide deep constraints on the radio emission of magnetars, relevant for the progenitor models of FRBs Given that MeerKAT is an interferometer, we probe the magnetars for radio emission in both imaging and time domain. We search in the time domain in a DM range of 20 pc/cm^3 to 10000 pc/cm^3 for single pulses using a TransientX based search pipeline (FRB perspective) as well as from a pulsar perspective by folding the data using the X-ray ephemeris. We use the imaging domain to search for radio emission in Stokes I and V as well as to create light curves using snapshot imaging having the long transient perspective as well. We find no radio emission in the time domain for any of the observed magnetars but provide deep limits of the mean flux density 60 uJy and the single pulse fluence of 39 mJy. From the image domain, we provide upper limits on the persistent radio radio emission and the light curve for the 13 magnetars. Additionally, an ULPT and an additional magnetar were observed in the images. We provide an extensive series of deep upper limits in the time domain but also as a novelty limits from the imaging domain for the magnetars. We encourage monitoring of radio quiet magnetars independent of their X-ray flux with high cadence for further insights in their potential for emitting in the radio regime.

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arXiv2025

Breaking the Baryon Density$\unicode{x2013}$Hubble Constant Degeneracy in Fast Radio Burst Applications with Associated Gravitational Waves

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are a unique probe of the cosmos, owing to dispersion caused by free electrons in the intergalactic medium (IGM). Two of the main quantities of interest are degenerate: the density of matter $Ω_\mathrm{b}f_\mathrm{d}$ outside of galaxies and the Hubble constant $H_0$. Here, we present a new possibility of breaking the degeneracy without invoking early Universe priors on $Ω_\mathrm{b}$. Assuming some FRBs originate in compact object mergers, the combination of dispersion and luminosity distance from the gravitational wave (GW) can be used to measure $Ω_\mathrm{b}h^2f_\mathrm{d}$ (where $h$ is the dimensionless Hubble constant). We show that this measurement can be combined with the abundant FRBs that have a redshift measurement. This combination breaks the degeneracy with the Hubble constant. We develop a Bayesian framework and forecast that third-generation GW detectors are required to obtain meaningful constraints. We forecast that one year of Einstein Telescope operations can constrain $H_0$ to $\pm 6\,\mathrm{km}\mathrm{s}^{-1}\mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$ and $Ω_\mathrm{b}h^2f_\mathrm{d}$ to $^{+0.0015}_{-0.0016}$ (68$\,\%$ credible interval). The method can also be used with luminosity distances obtained through other means than GWs.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2025

Scintillometry of Fast Radio Bursts: Resolution effects in two-screen models

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) exhibit scintillation and scattering, often attributed to interactions with plasma screens in the Milky Way and the host galaxy. When these two screens appear "point-like" to each other, two scales of scintillation can be observed with sufficient frequency resolution. A screen perceives a second screen as extended or resolved when the angular size of the latter is smaller than the angular resolution of the former. We define the ratio of these two as the Resolution Power (RP). Previous observational studies have argued that, in the resolving regime, scintillations disappear, assuming that a screen resolving another screen is equivalent to a screen resolving an incoherent emission region. In this theoretical and simulation-based study of resolving effects in two-screen scenarios, we argue that resolving quenches only the relatively broad-scale scintillation and that this quenching is a gradual process. We present qualitative and quantitative predictions for dynamic spectra, spectral autocorrelation functions (ACF), and modulation indices in resolved and unresolved regimes of two-screen systems. We show that the spectral ACF of a two-screen system has a product term in addition to the sum of individual screen contributions, causing the total modulation index to rise to \sqrt(3) in the unresolved regime. To aid in discovering resolving systems, we also present observable trends in multi-frequency observations of a screen resolving another screen or incoherent emission. Additionally we introduce a new formula to estimate the distance between the FRB and the screen in its host galaxy. We also show that this formula, like previous ones in the literature, is only applicable to screens that are two-dimensional in the plane of the sky.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Multiwavelength Constraints on the Origin of a Nearby Repeating Fast Radio Burst Source in a Globular Cluster

The precise origins of fast radio bursts (FRBs) remain unknown. Multiwavelength observations of nearby FRB sources can provide important insights into the enigmatic FRB phenomenon. Here, we present results from a sensitive, broadband X-ray and radio observational campaign of FRB 20200120E, the closest known extragalactic repeating FRB source (located 3.63 Mpc away in an ~10-Gyr-old globular cluster). We place deep limits on the persistent and prompt X-ray emission from FRB 20200120E, which we use to constrain possible origins for the source. We compare our results with various classes of X-ray sources, transients, and FRB models. We find that FRB 20200120E is unlikely to be associated with ultraluminous X-ray bursts, magnetar-like giant flares, or an SGR 1935+2154-like intermediate flare. Although other types of bright magnetar-like intermediate flares and short X-ray bursts would have been detectable from FRB 20200120E during our observations, we cannot entirely rule them out as a class. We show that FRB 20200120E is unlikely to be powered by an ultraluminous X-ray source or a young extragalactic pulsar embedded in a Crab-like nebula. We also provide new constraints on the compatibility of FRB 20200120E with accretion-based FRB models involving X-ray binaries. These results highlight the power of multiwavelength observations of nearby FRBs for discriminating between FRB models.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

The dispersion measure and rotation measure from fast radio burst host galaxies based on the IllustrisTNG50 simulation

Fast radio bursts (FRB) will become important cosmological tools, as the number of observed FRBs is increasing rapidly with more surveys being carried out. A large sample of FRBs with dispersion measures (DM) and rotation measures (RM) can be used to study the intergalactic magnetic field. However, the observed DM and RM of FRBs have multiple contributors which must be quantified to obtain the intergalactic medium's (IGM) DM and RM. In this paper, we estimate one such contribution to DM and RM: that of FRB host galaxies. We show how it changes with redshift, galaxy type, and the stellar mass of the galaxies, inclination, and FRB's projected offset. Using the IllustrisTNG50 simulations, we selected 16500 galaxies at redshifts of 0<=z<=2, with stellar masses in the range 9<=log(M*/Msun)<=12. In each galaxy, we calculate the DM and RM contributions of 1000 sightlines, and construct DM and RM probability density functions. We find that the rest frame DM distributions of all galaxies at a given redshift can be fitted by a lognormal function, and the rest frame RM distribution is symmetric around 0 rad m$^{-2}$, and can be fitted by the combination of a Lorentzian and two Gaussian functions. The parameters of these functions change for different subsets of galaxies with different redshift, stellar mass, inclination, and FRB offset. These changes are due to an increasing $n_e$ with redshift, SFR, and stellar mass, and we find a more ordered B field at lower z compared to higher z, suggested by more galaxies with B field reversals and B fields dominated by random B field at higher z. We estimate the FRB host DM and RM contributions, which can be used in the future to isolate the IGM's contribution from the observed DM and RM of FRBs. We predict that to constrain an $σ_{\rm RM,IGM}$ of 2 rad m$^{-2}$ to 95% confidence level we need to observe 95000 FRBs at z=0.5, but only 9500 FRBs at z=2.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

High-cadence monitoring of the emission properties of magnetar XTE J1810-197 with the Stockert radio telescope

[...] We present a singlepulse search method, improving on commonly used neural network classifiers thanks to the filtering of radio frequency interference based on its spectral variance and the magnetar's rotation. With this approach, we were able to lower the signal to noise ratio (S/N) detection threshold from 8 to 5. This allowed us to find over 115,000 spiky single pulses - compared to 56,000 from the neutral network approach. Here, we present the temporal variation of the overall profile and single pulses. Two distinct phases of different single pulse activity can be identified: phase 1 from December 2018 to mid-2019, with a few single pulses per hour, and phase 2 from September 2020 with hundreds of single pulses per hour (with a comparable average flux density). We find that the single pulse properties and folded profile in phase 2 exhibit a change around mid-March 2021. Before this date, the folded profile consists of a single peak and single pulses, with fluences of up to 1000 Jyms and a single-peaked width distribution at around 10 ms. After mid-March 2021, the profile consists of a two peaks and the single pulse population shows a bimodal width distribution with a second peak at 1 ms and fluences of up to 500 Jyms. We also present asymmetries in the phase-resolved single pulse width distributions beginning to appear in 2020, where the pulses arriving earlier in the rotational phase appear wider than those appearing later. This asymmetry persists despite the temporal evolution of the other single pulse and emission properties. We argue that a drift in the emission region in the magnetosphere may explain this observed behaviour. Additionally, we find that the fluence of the detected single pulses depends on the rotational phase and the highest fluence is found in the centre of the peaks in the profile. [...]

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arXiv2023

The Dispersion Measure Contributions of the Cosmic Web

The large-scale distribution of baryons is sensitive to gravitational collapse, mergers, and galactic feedback. Known as the Cosmic Web, its large-scale structure (LSS) can be classified as halos, filaments, and voids. Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are extragalactic sources that undergo dispersion along their propagation paths. They provide insight into ionised matter along their sightlines via their dispersion measures (DMs), and have been investigated as probes of the LSS baryon fraction, the diffuse baryon distribution, and of cosmological parameters. We use the cosmological simulation IllustrisTNG to study FRB DMs accumulated while traversing different types of LSS. We combine methods for deriving electron density, classifying LSS, and tracing FRB sightlines. We identify halos, filaments, voids, and collapsed structures along random sightlines and calculate their DM contributions. We analyse the redshift-evolving cosmological DM components of the Cosmic Web. We find that the filamentary contribution dominates, increasing from ~71% to ~80% on average for FRBs originating at z=0.1 vs z=5, while the halo contribution falls, and the void contribution remains consistent to within ~1%. The majority of DM variance originates from halos and filaments, potentially making void-only sightlines more precise probes of cosmological parameters. We find that, on average, an FRB originating at z=1 will intersect ~1.8 foreground collapsed structures, increasing to ~12.4 structures for a z=5 FRB. The impact parameters between our sightlines and TNG structures of any mass appear consistent with those reported for likely galaxy-intersecting FRBs. However, we measure lower average accumulated DMs from these structures than the $\sim90\;{\rm pc\;cm^{-3}}$ DM excesses reported for these literature FRBs, indicating some DM may arise beyond the structures themselves.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

How limiting is optical follow-up for fast radio burst applications? Forecasts for radio and optical surveys

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are the first cosmological radio sources that vary on millisecond timescales, which makes them a unique probe of the Universe. Many proposed applications of FRBs require associated redshifts. These can only be obtained by localizing FRBs to their host galaxies and subsequently measuring their redshifts. Upcoming FRB surveys will provide arcsecond localization for many FRBs, not all of which can be followed up with dedicated optical observations. We aim to estimate the fraction of FRB hosts that will be catalogued with redshifts by existing and future optical surveys. We use the population synthesis code frbpoppy to simulate several FRB surveys, and the semi-analytical galaxy formation code GALFORM to simulate their host galaxies. We obtain redshift distributions for the simulated FRBs and the fraction with host galaxies in a survey. Depending on whether FRBs follow the cosmic star formation rate or stellar mass, 20 to 40 per cent of CHIME FRB hosts will be observed in an SDSS-like survey, all at $z<0.5$. The deeper DELVE survey will detect 63 to 85 per cent of ASKAP FRBs found in its coherent search mode. CHIME FRBs will reach $z\sim 3$, SKA1-Mid FRBs $z\sim 5$, but ground based follow-up is limited to $z\lesssim 1.5$. We discuss consequences for several FRB applications. If $\sim1/2$ of ASKAP FRBs have measured redshifts, 1000 detected FRBs can be used to constrain $Ω_\text{b} h_{70}$ to within $\sim10$ per cent at 95 per cent credibility. We provide strategies for optimized follow-up, when building on data from existing surveys. Data and codes are made available.

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arXiv2020

No Radio Bursts Detected from FIRST J141918.9+394036 in Green Bank Telescope Observations

FRB 121102, the first-known repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source, is associated with a dwarf host galaxy and compact, persistent radio source. In an effort to find other repeating FRBs, FIRST J141918.9+394036 (hereafter FIRST J1419+3940) was identified in a search for similar persistent radio sources in dwarf host galaxies. FIRST J1419+3940 was subsequently identified as a radio transient decaying on timescales of decades, and it has been argued that it is the orphan afterglow of a long gamma-ray burst. FIRST J1419+3940 and FRB 121102's persistent radio source show observational similarities, though the latter appears to be stable in brightness. Nonetheless, if they have similar physical origins, then FIRST J1419+3940 may also contain a source capable of producing fast radio bursts. We report the non-detection of short-duration radio bursts from FIRST J1419+3940 during 3.1 h of observations with the 110-m Green Bank Telescope at both 2 and 6 GHz. FIRST J1419+3940 is 11 times closer compared with FRB 121102, and exhibits an optically-thin synchrotron spectrum above 1.4GHz; our search was thus sensitive to bursts more than 100 times weaker than those seen from FRB 121102. We encourage future burst searches to constrain the possible presence of an FRB-emitting source. Although such searches are high-risk, any such detection could greatly elucidate the origins of the FRB phenomenon.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

The Host Galaxy and Redshift of the Repeating Fast Radio Burst FRB 121102

The precise localization of the repeating fast radio burst (FRB 121102) has provided the first unambiguous association (chance coincidence probability $p\lesssim3\times10^{-4}$) of an FRB with an optical and persistent radio counterpart. We report on optical imaging and spectroscopy of the counterpart and find that it is an extended ($0.6^{\prime\prime}-0.8^{\prime\prime}$) object displaying prominent Balmer and [OIII] emission lines. Based on the spectrum and emission line ratios, we classify the counterpart as a low-metallicity, star-forming, $m_{r^\prime} = 25.1$ AB mag dwarf galaxy at a redshift of $z=0.19273(8)$, corresponding to a luminosity distance of 972 Mpc. From the angular size, the redshift, and luminosity, we estimate the host galaxy to have a diameter $\lesssim4$ kpc and a stellar mass of $M_*\sim4-7\times 10^{7}\,M_\odot$, assuming a mass-to-light ratio between 2 to 3$\,M_\odot\,L_\odot^{-1}$. Based on the H$α$ flux, we estimate the star formation rate of the host to be $0.4\,M_\odot\,\mathrm{yr^{-1}}$ and a substantial host dispersion measure depth $\lesssim 324\,\mathrm{pc\,cm^{-3}}$. The net dispersion measure contribution of the host galaxy to FRB 121102 is likely to be lower than this value depending on geometrical factors. We show that the persistent radio source at FRB 121102's location reported by Marcote et al (2017) is offset from the galaxy's center of light by $\sim$200 mas and the host galaxy does not show optical signatures for AGN activity. If FRB 121102 is typical of the wider FRB population and if future interferometric localizations preferentially find them in dwarf galaxies with low metallicities and prominent emission lines, they would share such a preference with long gamma ray bursts and superluminous supernovae.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2005

Limits on Enhanced Radio Wave Scattering by Supernova Remnants

We report multifrequency observations with the NRAO Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) of the compact radio sources J0128+6306 and J0547+2721, which are viewed through the supernova remnants G127.1+0.5 and S147, respectively. Observations were made at frequencies of 1.427, 1.667, 2.271, and 4.987 GHz. The lines of sight to these sources pass through the shock wave and upstream and downstream turbulent layers of their respective supernova remnants, and thus might detect cosmic-ray generated turbulence produced during the Fermi acceleration process. For both sources, we detect interstellar scattering, characterized by a component of the angular size which scales as the square of the observing wavelength. The magnitude of the scattering is characterized by an effective scattering angular size theta_S0 at a frequency of 1 GHz of 13.2 +/- 2.6 milliarcseconds (mas) for J0128+6306 and 6.7 +/- 2.2 mas for J0547+2721. These angular sizes are consistent with the ``incidental'' scattering for any line of sight out of the galaxy at similar galactic latitudes and longitudes. There is therefore no evidence for enhanced turbulence at these supernova remnants. We establish upper limits to the supernova remnant-associated scattering measures of 8.1-14.8 m^-20/3-pc for J0128+6306 and 3.0 m^-20/3-pc for J0547+2721.

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