![]() ![]() At a certain point, the axion burst begins to resonate with the surrounding plasma, regenerating a radio burst with properties similar to the original radio burst. The axion burst travels outward, streaming along with the outflowing plasma wind as the magnetar’s magnetic field weakens. After a radio burst is generated near the magnetar’s surface, strong electric fields pointing parallel to the background magnetic field transform photons into axions, creating an axion burst. Prabhu / Astrophysical Journal Letters 2023 An Axion Answer They travel outward through the magnetar wind (purple) and reconvert into radio photons (blue wavy line). Axions (black dashed line) are produced close to the magnetar’s surface, at the distance indicated by the yellow circle. When the coast is clear, so to speak, the axions convert back to photons and the burst continues on its journey into space. Because of this property, Prabhu suggested that fast radio burst photons can sneak through the plasma surrounding the magnetar disguised as axions. (Prabhu emphasized that while axions happen to be a dark matter candidate, the validity of the fast radio burst model doesn’t hinge on axions actually being dark matter.)Īxions are thought to couple to photons, and under the right conditions, they can convert into photons and vice versa. These particles have also been proposed to be an important component of cold dark matter. Axions are thought to be extremely light, and their existence might solve a lingering problem in particle physics related to the properties of neutrons. In a recent research article, Anirudh Prabhu (Princeton University) proposed a way for fast radio bursts to break free with a little help from theoretical particles called axions. Astrophysical Journal Letters 2017 There and Back Again An example band-averaged pulse (top) and spectrum (bottom) of a fast radio burst, FRB 170107.īannister et al. The former group of models naturally produces highly variable bursts, but they can’t yet explain how a burst escapes the magnetar’s surroundings, where there is a sea of plasma that scatters the burst and saps its energy. The latter crop of models easily explains how fast radio bursts jet out into space, but they’re stymied by the bursts’ rapid variability. Magnetar-based fast radio burst theories come in two main flavors: those in which the burst is generated close to the magnetar’s surface, and those in which the burst forms in the tangled stream of plasma that constantly flows out from the magnetar. ![]() New research proposes a way for fast radio bursts to escape the confines of a magnetized star and jet out into space - by getting help from theoretical particles called axions. Artist's impression of a highly magnetized stellar remnant called a magnetar. ![]()
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