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Conversations With An Astrophysicist - Fast Radio Bursts
KnowTheCosmos ^
| 13 February 2015
| Scott Lewis
Posted on 12/28/2016 6:25:39 PM PST by Steely Tom
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To: TXnMA
With regard to power, one of the videos on FRBs states that the estimated energy in one pulse is 10^30 joules, which would make them basically the brightest objects in the universe. That's assuming the radiation pattern is isotropic, which certainly doesn't have to be the case. The class of objects knows as "quasars" were originally thought to be the brightest objects in the universe, but (I believe) that was later shown to be probably false; quasars are now thought to be beam phenomena that happened to be aimed directly at us.
In the video I link in this story, one of the professors talks about a theory that the FRBs result from a magnetic field phenomenon that may take place on magnetars, sort of an ultra-powerful magnetic star-quake, analog of a phenomenon that's been observed in solar storms on our own Sun.
I don't think the "deep shaft" theory is necessary to get such a powerful pulsing effect. You could also have two super-massive objects orbiting around a common center of mass; one of them functions — by means of its gravitational field — to focus the emissions of the other into a highly focused beam.
The frequency-sweep phenomenon is very interesting because it's fairly hard to produce in nature. To see it at such stupendous power levels and sweep rates is highly thought-provoking, and explains why this phenomenon is getting so much attention.
41
posted on
12/29/2016 12:40:17 PM PST
by
Steely Tom
([VOTE FRAUD] == [CIVIL WAR])
To: Steely Tom
LOL!! The "deep shaft" was just a "gedanken experiment crutch" to confine and collimate a beam. I actually envision a "directed, collimated, coherent phenomenon" -- analogous to
"Cosmic Jets" -- except this one barely shows up at all at radio frequencies... And, of course, whole galaxies don't whirl around fast enough to present brief, repetitive pulses at a distance...'-)
~~~~
Like most everyone else here, I suspect that a magnetar may be a good culprit to blame for this one... '-)
42
posted on
12/29/2016 1:06:12 PM PST
by
TXnMA
("Allah": Satan's current alias. "Barack": Allah's current ally. "Comey" Barack's current toadie...)
To: TXnMA
The power of those jets is astonishing. They affect space around them out to a distance of hundreds of light years, if not more.
Those are amazing pictures. The one in x-ray wavelengths is astonishing. I didn’t realize we had the technology to make such an image.
43
posted on
12/29/2016 1:22:27 PM PST
by
Steely Tom
([VOTE FRAUD] == [CIVIL WAR])
To: Steely Tom
44
posted on
12/29/2016 2:29:30 PM PST
by
Tucker39
(In giving us The Christ, God gave us the ONE thing we desperately NEEDED; a Savior.)
To: Moonman62
45
posted on
12/29/2016 3:35:26 PM PST
by
Does so
("The Business of America is Business"--President Calvin Coolidge...)
To: Steely Tom
Agree. At that distance, any entity would not travel fast enough to generate a curve. That is assuming that no entity can travel faster that the speed of light.
46
posted on
12/29/2016 3:44:18 PM PST
by
pfflier
To: TXnMA
And that those ETs weren’t beam-forming straight at us.
To: ProtectOurFreedom
Psychic ETs: knew millions of years ago to aim at us... </SARC>
48
posted on
12/29/2016 8:08:20 PM PST
by
TXnMA
("Allah": Satan's current alias. "Barack": Allah's current ally. "Comey" Barack's current toadie...)
To: TXnMA
I would call it both amplitude and frequency modulated. What inference do you draw from that?
49
posted on
12/29/2016 8:54:37 PM PST
by
Windflier
(Pitchforks and torches ripen on the vine. Left too long, they become black rifles.)
To: Does so
We are alone. So said the tube worm to the white crab on the geothermal vent...
50
posted on
12/29/2016 9:03:42 PM PST
by
Windflier
(Pitchforks and torches ripen on the vine. Left too long, they become black rifles.)
To: Windflier; Steely Tom
I agree with Steely Tom's assessment in
#39.
There are several (natural) ways to get a short pulse (amplitude modulation) from a rapidly spinning source.
Had the frequency sweep modulation been linear, then I might suspect an other-than-natural source. But -- the freq sweep is nonlinear...
51
posted on
12/29/2016 9:43:43 PM PST
by
TXnMA
("Allah": Satan's current alias. "Barack": Allah's current ally. "Comey" Barack's current toadie...)
To: TXnMA
Yep. They knew exactly which pile of rocks was going to get the right primordial soup.
To: Steely Tom
On the off chance that you're not familiar with it, I'd like to share the URL for the
APOD (Astronomy Picture Of the Day)
archives with you:
https://129.164.179.22/apod/archivepix.html
I sometimes forget to check it for a while -- and, then go an "APOD binge"... '-)
I found the photo in #42 by using its SEARCH function for "Cosmic Jets"...
53
posted on
12/31/2016 12:32:22 PM PST
by
TXnMA
("Allah": Satan's current alias. "Barack": Allah's current ally. "Comey" Barack's current toadie...)
To: TXnMA; spodefly; Da Coyote; pfflier; ProtectOurFreedom; mrsmith; hoosierham; cpdiii; ...
There are several (natural) ways to get a short pulse (amplitude modulation) from a rapidly spinning source. Had the frequency sweep modulation been linear, then I might suspect an other-than-natural source. But -- the freq sweep is nonlinear...
I just had a really cool thought, worthy (IMHO) of inclusion in a science-fiction story.
What if FRBs are caused by the lighting-off of a relativistic-drive spaceship somewhere far away? Perhaps with it's "exhaust" (or antenna, or plasma beam) aimed directly at us.
Kind of the galactic equivalent of the sound of a hot rod peeling out half a mile away.
54
posted on
02/08/2017 12:44:25 PM PST
by
Steely Tom
(Liberals think in propaganda)
To: Steely Tom
LOL! That has a bit of wacky charm that tickles my whimsy!
FTL burnout...
55
posted on
02/08/2017 4:04:32 PM PST
by
TXnMA
( A day without learning something, plus praying for someone who never knows of it -- is wasted.)
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