Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are brief but incredibly intense pulses of radio waves that last for only a few milliseconds and originate from distant galaxies. First discovered in 2007, FRBs have since sparked major interest due to their mysterious nature and unknown origins.
Each FRB emits as much energy in a millisecond as the Sun does in a day, making them some of the most powerful radio events in the universe. While most FRBs appear to occur just once, a few have been observed to repeat, which has helped astronomers study them more closely.
Possible sources of FRBs include:
- Magnetars with sudden magnetic outbursts
- Merging neutron stars
- Black hole-neutron star interactions
- Exotic phenomena like cosmic strings or even hypothetical alien technologies (though there’s no evidence for this)
Despite many discoveries, the exact cause of most FRBs remains unknown. They are now being used not only to explore their own nature but also as probes of the intergalactic medium, helping scientists study matter and magnetic fields across vast cosmic distances.