Scientists Pin Down the Origins of a Fast Radio Burst

MIT scientists have pinpointed the origin of a fast radio burst (FRB) to within 10,000 kilometers of a neutron star, settling a long-standing debate about these cosmic phenomena. Using a novel technique analyzing signal scintillation, researchers determined that FRB 20221022A, detected in 2022 from a galaxy 200 million light-years away, emerged from the star's turbulent magnetosphere rather than from a distant shockwave. The findings, published in Nature, provide the first conclusive evidence that FRBs can originate in the extreme magnetic environment immediately surrounding these ultra-compact objects.

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