Overview

• The study analyzed signals from 69 localized FRBs spanning 11.7 million to 9.1 billion light-years to weigh intergalactic baryons.
• Timing delays in FRB wavelengths reveal that roughly 76 percent of ordinary matter resides in the intergalactic medium, 15 percent inhabits galactic halos, and the remainder lies within stars or cold galactic gas.
• The most distant burst, FRB20230521B, set a record at 9.1 billion light-years, serving as a critical probe of the cosmic web’s diffuse gas.
• Findings published in Nature Astronomy align with predictions from advanced cosmological simulations, validating models of matter distribution and feedback processes.
• The findings will guide future surveys with next-generation FRB arrays such as the DSA-2000 to map the cosmic web in greater detail.