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A fast radio burst with frequency-dependent polarization detected during Breakthrough Listen observations

  • D. C. Price
  • , G. Foster*
  • , M. Geyer
  • , W. Van Straten
  • , V. Gajjar
  • , G. Hellbourg
  • , A. Karastergiou
  • , E. F. Keane
  • , A. P.V. Siemion
  • , I. Arcavi
  • , R. Bhat
  • , M. Caleb
  • , S. W. Chang
  • , S. Croft
  • , D. Deboer
  • , I. De Pater
  • , J. Drew
  • , J. E. Enriquez
  • , W. Farah
  • , N. Gizani
  • J. A. Green, H. Isaacson, J. Hickish, A. Jameson, M. Lebofsky, D. H.E. Macmahon, A. Möller, C. A. Onken, E. Petroff, D. Werthimer, C. Wolf, S. P. Worden, Y. G. Zhang
*Corresponding author for this work
  • Swinburne University of Technology
  • University of California at Berkeley
  • University of Oxford
  • SARAO
  • Auckland University of Technology
  • Curtin University
  • University of the Western Cape
  • Rhodes University
  • University of Manchester
  • Radboud University Nijmegen
  • SETI Institute
  • University of Malta
  • University of California at Santa Barbara
  • Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.
  • Australian National University
  • The University of Sydney
  • NASA Ames Research Center
  • Hellenic Open University
  • CSIRO
  • University of Amsterdam

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

50 Scopus citations

Abstract

Here, we report on the detection and verification of fast radio burst FRB 180301, which occurred on utc 2018 March 1 during the Breakthrough Listen observations with the Parkes telescope. Full-polarization voltage data of the detection were captured - a first for non-repeating FRBs - allowing for coherent de-dispersion and additional verification tests. The coherently de-dispersed dynamic spectrum of FRB 180301 shows complex, polarized frequency structure over a small fractional bandwidth. As FRB 180301 was detected close to the geosynchronous satellite band during a time of known 1-2 GHz satellite transmissions, we consider whether the burst was due to radio interference emitted or reflected from an orbiting object. Based on the pre-ponderance of our verification tests, we cannot conclusively determine FRB 180301 to be either astrophysical or anthropogenic in origin.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3636-3646
Number of pages11
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume486
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2019

Funding

FundersFunder number
Australian Government
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Breakthrough Prize Foundation
Australian Research CouncilLE130100104, CE110001020, CE170100004
National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationPF6-170148

    Keywords

    • methods: data analysis
    • methods: observational

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