Received a mysterious signal sent to Earth for the first time from the center of the Milky Way, tens of thousands of times stronger than the Sun.

First discovered in 2007, FRB (Fast Radio Burst) emission is one of the most intriguing mysteries in modern astrophysics. They are described as extremely powerful electromagnetic signals that are transmitted to Earth from Deep Space, over distances of hundreds of millions of years to billions of light years.

Despite being in an extremely short time, lasting only a few milliseconds at most, FRB emissions have an extremely strong energy level, tens of thousands of times more than the Sun, or equal to the total energy of the sun generated for 80 years.

Of the 100 total FRBs discovered, most of these signals originate from distant galaxies, millions of light years from Earth. But most recently, scientists have discovered for the first time an FRB has a starting point in the Milky Way, according to a study recently published in the journal Nature on November 4.

FRB emission has an extremely strong energy level, tens of thousands of times that of the Sun, or equal to the total energy of the Sun that is produced continuously for 80 years.

Accordingly, on April 28, 2020, the STARE2 radio observatory located in California and Utah (USA) and CHIME observatory (Kelowna, Canada) simultaneously detected 2 extremely strong FRB signals named FRB 200428. The first signal lasted for 0.58 milliseconds. After about 30 milliseconds, the second signal continues for about 0.33 milliseconds.

” This is the most powerful radio explosion ever discovered in our galaxy ,” Daniele Michille, CHIME’s astrophysicist, co-author of one of the new studies, told Space.com. Even this newly discovered FRB signal is 3000 times stronger than the previously known FRB signals.

Scientists then identified the ‘culprit’ that produced the 200428 FRB signal. It is a neutron star named SGR 1935 + 2154, located about 30,000 light years away from Earth towards the center of the Milky Way , in the constellation Vulpecula. This is also the closest known FRB emission to date.

FRBs normally travel to Earth from deep space, possibly from galaxies hundreds of millions to billions of light-years away, and can only be detected with radio telescopes.

A magnetar with a magnetic field 5000 trillion times stronger than Earth is the ‘author’ to create the FRB

According to the researchers, SGR 1935 + 2154 is also an extremely rare type of neutron star, commonly known as a magnet star, formed from a star with at least 40 times the mass of the Sun. Compared to normal neutron stars, magnet stars are 1000 times stronger, and are the most powerful objects in the universe.

” A magnetar is a type of neutron star that has a very strong magnetic field, which distorts atoms into pencil-like shapes ,” explains Christopher Bochenek, an astrophysicist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. According to this expert, the magnetic field of the magnet star is also about 5,000 trillion times stronger than that of the Earth.

The latest discovery of FRB emitted from the magnet star SGR 1935 + 2154 also helps shed more light on the origin of mysterious signals from outer space.

SGR 1935 + 215 is a special neutron star, with a dense remnant core left behind after a giant star produces a supernova explosion. In 2014, this Neutron star caught the attention of scientists for the first time when it emitted powerful pulses of X-rays and gamma rays directed toward Earth.

Normally, FRB emissions travel to Earth in a random manner and do not follow any rules. Most FRBs have ever been found to flare up only once in 1/1000 second – faster than a blink of an eye – and barely repeat, making events like these happen very unpredictable. follow.

Besides, due to limited human observation methods as well as technology, determining exactly where FRBs come from and what causes them is still a headache for astronomers.

Some scientists have suggested that FRB can be created from astrophysical phenomena in the universe, for example when two neutron stars collide with each other, or emitted from black holes when they ‘ devouring ‘matter from an ill-fated star. A handful of other scientists even hypothesized, this could be a form of alien communication.

” But now, we finally have evidence of an object that can make FRBs. Magnet stars have always been one of the top candidates. So this latest discovery further reinforces. Our hypothesis , “said Daniele Michille, author of the research team.

See Space.com / Live Science