A polarized fast radio burst at low Galactic latitude

Romoli, C.; Rieger, F.; Reyes, R. De Los; Reimer, O.; Renaud, M.; Reimer, A.; Raab, S.; Quirrenbach, A.; Punch, M.; Pühlhofer, G.; Prokoph, H.; Poon, H.; Prokhorov, D.; Pita, S.; Piel, Q.; Peyaud, B.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Perennes, C.; Pelletier, G.; Pekeur, N. W.; Panter, M.; Parsons, R. D.; Padovani, M.; Oya, I.; Ostrowski, M.; Öttl, S.; Ohm, S.; Odaka, H.; O'Brien, P.; Oakes, L.; Niemiec, J.; de Naurois, M.; Niederwanger, F.; Murach, T.; Moulin, E.; Morâ, K.; Mohrmann, L.; Mohamed, M.; Moderski, R.; Mitchell, A. M. W.; Meyer, M.; Meintjes, P. J.; Mayer, M.; Maxted, N.; Maurin, G.; Marx, R.; Mariaud, C.; Marcowith, A.; Marandon, V.; Lypova, I.; López-Coto, R.; Liu, R.; Lorentz, M.; Lohse, T.; Leser, E.; Lenain, J.-P.; Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Lemière, A.; Lefaucheur, J.; Lefranc, V.; Lees, J.-P.; Lau, J.; Lamanna, G.; Krüger, P. P.; Laffon, H.; Kraus, M.; Krayzel, F.; Krakau, S.; Kosack, K.; Komin, Nu.; Kolitzus, D.; Klepser, S.; Klochkov, D.; Kluźniak, W.; King, J.; Kieffer, M.; Khélifi, B.; Kerszberg, D.; Katarzyński, K.; Kastendieck, M. A.; Jung-Richardt, I.; Jouvin, L.; Jogler, T.; Jingo, M.; Jankowsky, F.; Jankowsky, D.; Janiak, M.; Jamrozy, M.; Jacholkowska, A.; Ivascenko, A.; Horns, D.; Holler, M.; Hofmann, W.; Hoischen, C.; Hinton, J. A.; Hervet, O.; Hermann, G.; Henri, G.; Heinzelmann, G.; Haupt, M. et al.
Bibliographical reference

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 469, Issue 4, p.4465-4482

Advertised on:
8
2017
Number of authors
417
IAC number of authors
1
Citations
91
Refereed citations
80
Description
We report on the discovery of a new fast radio burst (FRB), FRB 150215, with the Parkes radio telescope on 2015 February 15. The burst was detected in real time with a dispersion measure (DM) of 1105.6 ± 0.8 pc cm-3, a pulse duration of 2.8^{+1.2}_{-0.5} ms, and a measured peak flux density assuming that the burst was at beam centre of 0.7^{+0.2}_{-0.1} Jy. The FRB originated at a Galactic longitude and latitude of 24.66°, 5.28° and 25° away from the Galactic Center. The burst was found to be 43 ± 5 per cent linearly polarized with a rotation measure (RM) in the range -9 < RM < 12 rad m-2 (95 per cent confidence level), consistent with zero. The burst was followed up with 11 telescopes to search for radio, optical, X-ray, γ-ray and neutrino emission. Neither transient nor variable emission was found to be associated with the burst and no repeat pulses have been observed in 17.25 h of observing. The sightline to the burst is close to the Galactic plane and the observed physical properties of FRB 150215 demonstrate the existence of sight lines of anomalously low RM for a given electron column density. The Galactic RM foreground may approach a null value due to magnetic field reversals along the line of sight, a decreased total electron column density from the Milky Way, or some combination of these effects. A lower Galactic DM contribution might explain why this burst was detectable whereas previous searches at low latitude have had lower detection rates than those out of the plane.
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