Scientists are trying to understand a new aspect of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), which are mysterious radio signals coming from distant galaxies. Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), which is scheduled to launch in the early 2030s, will aid in studying FRBs and mysterious radio signals.
Fast Radio Bursts
- Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are powerful and brief bursts of radio frequency emissions originating from deep space. These mysterious and intense signals last only milliseconds but release an amount of energy comparable to hundreds of millions of suns.
- Astronomers have proposed that magnetars, a type of neutron star formed from the remnants of exploding stars, could be a probable origin for FRBs.
- The rotation of magnetars is comparatively slower than that of other neutron stars.
- Neutron stars are formed when a massive star collapses. The very central region of the core collapses, crushing together every proton and electron into a neutron. These newly-created neutrons can stop the collapse, leaving behind a neutron star.
- A magnetar possesses a magnetic field over a thousand times stronger than that of other neutron stars, and it is a trillion times more powerful than Earth’s magnetic field.
Neutron Stars Involved in the Genesis of FRBs
- The occurrence of FRBs might result from the collision of two neutron stars.
- The collision could generate two distinct signals: gravitational waves, which cause ripples in space-time, and FRBs.
- Neutron star mergers have been known to be accompanied by electromagnetic counterparts in the past.
- The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in the US and the Virgo instrument in Italy made a groundbreaking observation by detecting gravitational waves from the collision of two neutron stars for the first time in 2015.
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
- LISA is a planned space-based gravitational wave observatory led by the European Space Agency (ESA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
- LISA is designed to detect and observe gravitational waves by measuring the minute changes in the distance between three spacecraft in a triangular formation, caused by the passage of gravitational waves through space.
- This space-based observatory is anticipated to provide valuable insights into cosmic events, such as the mergers of massive black holes and other astrophysical phenomena, contributing to our understanding of the universe.
LIGO
- LIGO stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory.
- It is a groundbreaking observatory designed to detect and study gravitational waves.
- It is providing a new way to explore the universe by observing the ripples in space-time caused by events such as the collision of black holes or neutron stars.
- First Detection of Gravitational Waves:
- The LIGO in the US first detected gravitational waves in 2015, which led to a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017.
- These gravitational waves were produced by the merger of two black holes, which were about 29 and 36 times the mass of the Sun, 1.3 billion years ago.
- Black hole mergers are the source of some of the strongest gravitational waves.