This “explosive” radio signal with a frightening origin could be used to “weigh” the universe.
The mysterious signal, designated FRB 20220610A, was transmitted from a world 8 billion years ago and is a “fast radio burst.”
Fast radio bursts are a type of intense, rapid radio signal that can travel through intergalactic space. There are many theories surrounding this type of radio signal; some suggest it originates from black hole collisions, neutron stars (the “zombies” of giant stars), or even from extraterrestrial sources.
New radio signal possibly transmitted from a galactic collision 8 billion years ago – (Image: Shutterstock).
According to Live Science, this ancient signal is 1.5 times further away than the previous record-holding fast radio burst.
Through the lens of radio telescopes, the light from the burst event flickers in a rhythmic pattern akin to a heartbeat.
This time, scientists believe they have identified its source: a catastrophic collision involving three ancient galaxies.
The fact that this signal has traveled from the past, when the universe was still “young,” presents a rare opportunity for scientists to “weigh” the universe and possibly uncover the whereabouts of half of its missing matter.
“If we calculate the amount of ordinary matter in the universe – the atoms that make up everything, including us – we can see that more than half of what should be there today is missing,” said Professor Ryan Shannon from Swinburne University (Australia), a co-author of the study.
They believe that the missing matter is lurking in galaxies, but it may be so hot and diffuse that conventional techniques cannot detect it.
Currently, there are two methods to find it. The first is to use gravitational lensing – massive foreground objects like galaxies, galaxy clusters, and star clusters – to observe how matter affects the path of light from distant galaxies.
The second method involves examining the universe’s first light – the residual radiation from the Big Bang – which could reveal where the first clumps of matter formed before the universe began to expand.
However, both of these methods have significant drawbacks, as they can sometimes yield inconsistent results with each other and with many standard theories in cosmology.
Radio signals like FRB 20220610A present a perfect third solution. As the bursts travel through space, they separate the matter they traverse into different frequencies of light pulses.
The delay between the high and low frequencies in the signal can help astronomers calculate the amount of matter the radio signal has passed through.
