Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
10h ago

CHIME Outriggers Pinpoint Record-Bright Fast Radio Burst to Nearby Spiral Galaxy

Using continent-scale baselines, the array achieved tens-of-milliarcsecond accuracy, creating a rare nearby case to probe magnetar-driven scenarios.

© Daniëlle Futselaar/MMT Observatory
An infrared Webb image of the galaxy NGC 4141 containing the fast radio burst FRB 20250316A. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / CfA / Blanchard et al. / P. Edmonds.

Overview

  • An ultrabright FRB detected on March 16, 2025, dubbed RBFLOAT (FRB 20250316A), was reported in Astrophysical Journal Letters at a distance of about 130 million light-years.
  • The combined CHIME and newly completed Outriggers localized the burst to NGC 4141 with precision of roughly 13 parsecs, resolving its position on a spiral arm.
  • The source lies just outside a star-forming region, a placement that researchers say could be consistent with an older or displaced magnetar.
  • A search of CHIME’s six-year archive found no prior activity from the location, indicating a one-off event so far rather than a repeating source.
  • Follow-up with Keck, MMT, and JWST characterized the local environment and revealed a nearby infrared source (NIR-1) whose connection to the burst remains unconfirmed.