A model of fast radio bursts: collisions between episodic magnetic blobs
Abstract
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright radio pulses from the sky with millisecond durations and Jansky-level flux densities. Their origins are still largely uncertain. Here we suggest a new model for FRBs. We argue that the collision of a white dwarf with a black hole can generate a transient accretion disk, from which powerful episodicmagnetic blobs will be launched. The collision between two consecutive magnetic blobs can result in a catastrophic magnetic reconnection, which releases a large amount of free magnetic energy and forms a forward shock. The shock propagates through the cold magnetized plasma within the blob in the collision region, radiating through the synchrotron maser mechanism, which is responsible for a non-repeating FRB signal. Our calculations show that the theoretical energetics, radiation frequency, duration timescale and event rate can be very consistent with the observational characteristics of FRBs.
- Publication:
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Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- June 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1088/1674-4527/18/6/61
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1803.09945
- Bibcode:
- 2018RAA....18...61L
- Keywords:
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- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- 8 pages, 1 figure, final version, RAA (Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics), 2018, 18, 61