Journal
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
Volume 834, Issue 2, Pages -Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/834/2/L8
Keywords
radiation mechanisms: non-thermal; radio continuum: galaxies; techniques: high angular resolution
Categories
Funding
- Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) of ICCUB (Unidad de Excelencia Maria de Maeztu) [AYA2013-47447-C3-1-P, AYA2016-76012-C3-1-P, MDM-2014-0369]
- European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP)/ERC [337062]
- ASTRON/JIVE International Summer Student Programme
- NANOGrav Physics Frontiers Center (NSF award) [1430284]
- NSF [AST-1104617, AST-1008213, 1458952]
- European Research Council [279702]
- Lorne Trottier Chair in Astrophysics and Cosmology
- Canadian Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics
- NSERC
- FQRNT via the Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Quebec
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
- McGill Astrophysics postdoctoral fellowship
- [RP024]
- [RP026]
- Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien [1611606] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Astronomical Sciences [1611606] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Office of Integrative Activities
- Office Of The Director [1458952] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The millisecond-duration radio flashes known as fast radio bursts (FRBs) represent an enigmatic astrophysical phenomenon. Recently, the sub-arcsecond localization (similar to 100 mas precision) of FRB. 121102 using the Very Large Array has led to its unambiguous association with persistent radio and optical counterparts, and to the identification of its host galaxy. However, an even more precise localization is needed in order to probe the direct physical relationship between the millisecond bursts themselves and the associated persistent emission. Here, we report very-long-baseline radio interferometric observations using the European VLBI Network and the 305 m Arecibo telescope, which simultaneously detect both the bursts and the persistent radio emission at milliarcsecond angular scales and show that they are co-located to within a projected linear separation of less than or similar to 40 pc (less than or similar to 12 mas angular separation, at 95% confidence). We detect consistent angular broadening of the bursts and persistent radio source (similar to 2-4 mas at 1.7 GHz), which are both similar to the expected Milky Way scattering contribution. The persistent radio source has a projected size constrained to be less than or similar to 0.7 pc (less than or similar to 0.2 mas angular extent at 5.0 GHz) and a lower limit for the brightness temperature of T-b greater than or similar to 5 x 10(7) K. Together, these observations provide strong evidence for a direct physical link between FRB. 121102 and the compact persistent radio source. We argue that a burst source associated with a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus or a young neutron star energizing a supernova remnant are the two scenarios for FRB. 121102 that best match the observed data.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available