The Mysterious FRBs: How Frequent Are They?

 

Fast Radio Bursts or FRBs have become something of a cause for those who are hoping to find signs of extraterrestrial life in the Universe. However, there are others who believe that these bursts of radio waves are simply created by the natural phenomenon we have yet to discover or understand. A team from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has recently released a new theory. One which claims that the mysterious FRBs might be as frequent as every other second.

Two scientists part of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics revealed that their studies of the visible Universe show that the release rate of fast radio bursts could be as high as one every second. This research is based on an analysis of the mysterious fast radio bursts released by FRB 121102.

This is located in a galaxy around three billion light years away from Earth. The researchers chose to use the FRBs from this region of the galaxy as it is the only area shown to have repeated signals released on a regular basis.

There have been a number of theories about the origin of these rare but rather frequent bursts of radio wave activity. Some of them include the development of alien megastructures around dying stars and the use of frequent bursts of energy to power alien spacecraft.

However, if the research from the Harvard-Smithsonian team is proven correct, it would appear that the theories holding the most weight are those featuring the development of an as yet undiscovered natural phenomenon.

The work of those looking for radio bursts and a solution to the origin of these mysterious signals may soon be discovered. It might come after the release of the initial findings of this study.

Scientists and researchers point out the importance of studying these FRBs as these rare and mysterious broadcasts could hold the key to how the space hydrogen released following the Big Bang led to the appearance of the galaxy we live in.