Using an upgraded radio telescope array, a team of Dutch and international researchers discovered that there are significant differences in the behavior of so-called fast radio bursts

The Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope - Image Credit: Universal-Sci

In 2019, one of the fastest and most sensitive radio telescopes in the world was completed in the Netherlands. A radio telescope array in Westerbork was upgraded with a state-of-the-art high-speed receiver system supported by a powerful supercomputer. The new system is capable of recording an amazing 20,000 images per second. Using the upgraded telescope, a team of Dutch and international researchers discovered that there are significant differences in the behavior of so-called fast radio bursts.

Fast radio bursts, also known FRBs, emit bursts containing enormous amounts of energy that cross the universe. The sources of these mysterious bursts, however, remain to be a mystery. Leon Oostrum, a Ph.D. candidate at the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), and at the University of Amsterdam, stated that the first Westerbork results immediately showed that fast radio bursts contain many mysteries. It will probably take quite some time before scientists resolve this puzzle. The first scientific data from the new radio high-speed receivers have been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

To learn more about FRBs, Westerbork looked at two recently discovered radio sources that regularly emit short pulses, called R1 and R2. The telescope observed 30 flashes from R1, but R2 remained invisible despite 300 hours of observations. R2 surprised astronomers by behaving very differently from R1. It is possible that R2 is invisible to Westerbork because the flashes are too weak or do not have the appropriate radio frequency for Westerbork to perceive. Another possibility is that R2 temporarily or permanently stopped emitting bursts at all.

The R1 bursts where the first radio flashes ever recorded by the newly upgraded telescope. Westerbork will now try to find additional sources of FRBs as more fast radio bursts will help scientists uncover further information about their origin. Joeri van Leeuwen, lead researcher, mentioned that by upgrading the existing Westerbork radio telescope, they created an extremely sensitive telescope. Scientists equipped it with a state-of-the-art receiver system and a gigantic supercomputer called Aperitif. Combined, they are capable of making an incredible 20,000 images per second.

With its complete overhaul, the Westerbork radio telescope is reclaimed as one of the best radio telescopes in the world. Because of the fact that its image is built by combining the signals of 12 dishes, a very detailed picture of the sky can be made. Thanks to the new Apertif supercomputer, astronomers can now also create incredibly detailed images of large swaths of the sky in one go. Where other comparable telescopes use shutter speeds of 1 second, the Apertif supercomputer can make films of multiple pictures using a shutter speed of one-thousandth of a second. According to Oostrum, this combination is unique in the world and essential in the investigation of the mysteries behind the puzzling fast radio bursts.

Sources and further reading: