arXiv subjects

Rui-Nan Li

Publications and source records attributed to Rui-Nan Li.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Periodic Emission Frequency Modulation in a Hyperactive Fast Radio Burst

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are intense, short-duration radio transients of mysterious origin. They have been detected across a wide range of frequencies from 110 MHz to 8 GHz. Their spectral properties, remaining poorly understood, are essential for understanding the intrinsic radiation mechanism and propagation effects. Here, we report the discovery of a periodic modulation in the central emission frequency of FRB 20240114A, based on more than one thousand bursts collected by an ultra-wideband receiving system. The burst central frequencies reveals a significant modulation with a period of $\sim 112$ days. The statistical significance of this detected periodicity exceeds $6\sigma$ for both the Lomb-Scargle and phase-folding methods. Within a single period, the central emission frequency exhibits a systematic drift from lower to higher values. We evaluate several physical mechanisms for this unique spectral evolution. The free-free absorption together with cyclotron resonant absorption in a binary system or free precession models could potentially explain such behavior. The discovery of this periodic frequency modulation unveils a new layer of complexity in the underlying radiation mechanism and propagation effect of FRBs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Utilizing Dispersion Measure of Fast Radio Bursts to Probe the Intergalactic Medium Turbulence

Extragalactic fast radio bursts (FRBs) have emerged as powerful probes of turbulence within the intergalactic medium (IGM), a phenomenon that plays a crucial role in various cosmological and astrophysical processes. In this study, we employ the structure function (SF) analysis on the dispersion measures (DMs) of over 3,000 FRBs, leveraging the recently released CHIME/FRB Catalog 2 alongside previously observed sources. By comparing our results with mock datasets generated from cosmological simulations, we find excellent agreement at large angular separations. At small angular scales, our findings reveal a potential scaling behavior consistent with a two-dimensional (2D) Kolmogorov power spectrum. From this scaling, we constrain the turbulence outer scale to be on the order of several Mpc, which aligns with theoretical expectations, independent observations of the low-redshift IGM, and cosmological simulations. Ultimately, to conclusively confirm this Kolmogorov-like turbulent cascade and overcome current small-sample statistical limitations, a larger sample of FRBs with sub-arcsecond localization is required.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Calibrating $\rm{DM_{IGM}}-z$ relation using host galaxies of FRBs

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are extragalactic radio transients that offer valuable insight of intergalactic medium (IGM). However, the dispersion measure (DM) contributed by IGM ($\rm{DM_{IGM}}$) is degenerated with that from the host galaxy ($\rm{DM_{host}}$), necessitating calibration of the $\rm{DM_{IGM}}$$-z$ relation for cosmological applications. As $\rm{DM_{host}}$ is expected to correlate with host galaxy properties, it is feasible to estimate $\rm{DM_{host}}$ from observable host characteristics. In this study, we conduct spectral energy distribution (SED) and Sérsic model fittings to derive the parameters of FRB host galaxies. Then, we examine the correlations between the excess dispersion measure ($\rm{DM_{exc}}$) and host galaxy parameters, including star formation rate (SFR), stellar mass, specific star formation rate (sSFR), inclination angle, and projected area. A tight correlation between $\rm{DM_{exc}}$ and sSFR is found. This correlation is utilized to estimate the $\rm{DM_{host}}$ of FRBs, providing a method to calibrate the DM$_{\rm IGM}-z$ relation. This approach leads to a notable improvement in calibration performance.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Structure Functions of Rotation Measures Revealing the Origin of Fast Radio Bursts

The structure function (SF) analysis is a powerful tool for studying plasma turbulence. Theoretically, the SF of Faraday rotation measure (RM) is expected to include a geometric component due to the relative orientation of sightlines through an ordered magnetic field. However, observational evidence for this component remains elusive. Here, we report that the SFs of the binary PSR B1744-24A and the repeating fast radio burst (FRB) 20201124A exhibit both a periodic geometric component, caused by binary orbital motion, and a flat statistical component. The statistical component, induced by stochastic fluctuations in electron density and magnetic field, aligns with RM scatter derived from pulse depolarization. These findings indicate that FRB 20201124A has a binary origin and suggest that the periodic geometric component can serve as a diagnostic tool to identify binary companions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Fast Radio Bursts: Electromagnetic Counterparts to Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals

Recent observations discovered that some repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) show a large value and complex variations of Faraday rotation measures (RMs). The binary systems containing a supermassive black hole (SMBH) and a neutron star (NS) can be used to explain such RM variations. Meanwhile, such systems produce low-frequency gravitational wave (GW) signals, which are one of the primary interests of three proposed space-based GW detectors: the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), Tianqin and Taiji. These signals are known as extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs). Therefore, FRBs can serve as candidates of electromagnetic (EM) counterparts for EMRI signals. In this letter, we study the EMRI signals in this binary system, which can be detected up to $z\sim0.04$ by LISA and Tianqin for the most optimistic case. Assuming the cosmic comb model for FRB production, the total event rate can be as high as $\sim1$ Gpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$. EMRI signals associated with FRBs can be used to reveal the progenitor of FRBs. It is also a new type of standard siren, which can be used as an independent cosmological probe.

astro-ph.HE↗