CHIME/Fast Radio Burst Discovery of an Unusual Circularly Polarized Long-period Radio Transient with an Accelerating Spin Period
We report the discovery of CHIME J1634+44, a long-period radio transient (LPT) unique for two aspects: it is the first known LPT to emit fully circularly polarized radio bursts, and it is the first LPT with a significant spin-up. Given that high circular polarization (>90%) has been observed in F...
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2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adeaab |
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| author | Fengqiu Adam Dong Kaitlyn Shin Casey Law Mason Ng Ingrid Stairs Geoffrey Bower Alyssa Cassity Emmanuel Fonseca B. M. Gaensler Jason W. T. Hessels Victoria M. Kaspi Bikash Kharel Calvin Leung Robert A. Main Kiyoshi W. Masui James W. McKee Bradley W. Meyers Obinna Modilim Ayush Pandhi Aaron B. Pearlman Scott M. Ransom Paul Scholz Kendrick Smith |
| author_facet | Fengqiu Adam Dong Kaitlyn Shin Casey Law Mason Ng Ingrid Stairs Geoffrey Bower Alyssa Cassity Emmanuel Fonseca B. M. Gaensler Jason W. T. Hessels Victoria M. Kaspi Bikash Kharel Calvin Leung Robert A. Main Kiyoshi W. Masui James W. McKee Bradley W. Meyers Obinna Modilim Ayush Pandhi Aaron B. Pearlman Scott M. Ransom Paul Scholz Kendrick Smith |
| author_sort | Fengqiu Adam Dong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We report the discovery of CHIME J1634+44, a long-period radio transient (LPT) unique for two aspects: it is the first known LPT to emit fully circularly polarized radio bursts, and it is the first LPT with a significant spin-up. Given that high circular polarization (>90%) has been observed in FRB 20201124A and in some giant pulses of PSR B1937+21, we discuss the implications of the high circular polarization of CHIME J1634+44 and conclude its emission mechanism is likely to be “pulsar-like.” While CHIME J1634+44 has a pulse period of 841 s, its burst arrival patterns are indicative of a secondary 4206 s period, probably associated with binary activity. The timing properties suggest it has a significantly negative period derivative of $\dot{P}=-9.03(0.11)\times {10}^{-12}$ s s ^−1 . Few systems have been known to spin up, most notably transitional millisecond pulsars and cataclysmic binaries, both of which seem unlikely progenitors for CHIME J1634+44. If the period was only associated with the spin of the object, then the spin-up is likely generated by accretion of material from a companion. If, however, the radio pulse period and the orbital period are locked, as appears to be the case for two other LPTs, the spin-up of CHIME J1634+44 could be driven by gravitational-wave radiation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ee9db9309cc34d9bac4db0ed3dd076d2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-8205 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-ee9db9309cc34d9bac4db0ed3dd076d22025-08-20T03:30:39ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052025-01-019881L2910.3847/2041-8213/adeaabCHIME/Fast Radio Burst Discovery of an Unusual Circularly Polarized Long-period Radio Transient with an Accelerating Spin PeriodFengqiu Adam Dong0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4098-5222Kaitlyn Shin1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6823-2073Casey Law2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4119-9963Mason Ng3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0940-6563Ingrid Stairs4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9784-8670Geoffrey Bower5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4056-9982Alyssa Cassity6https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0757-9800Emmanuel Fonseca7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8384-5049B. M. Gaensler8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3382-9558Jason W. T. Hessels9https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2317-1446Victoria M. Kaspi10https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9345-0307Bikash Kharel11https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6166-1095Calvin Leung12https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4209-7408Robert A. Main13https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7164-9507Kiyoshi W. Masui14https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4279-6946James W. McKee15https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2885-8485Bradley W. Meyers16https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8845-1225Obinna Modilim17https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0466-9371Ayush Pandhi18https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8897-1973Aaron B. Pearlman19https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8912-0732Scott M. Ransom20https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5799-9714Paul Scholz21https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7374-7119Kendrick Smith22https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2088-3125National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA ; fengqiu.dong@gmail.com; Green Bank Observatory , 155 Observatory Road, WV 24944, USAMIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USACahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology , MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Owens Valley Radio Observatory, California Institute of Technology , Big Pine, CA 93513, USADepartment of Physics, McGill University , 3600 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada; Trottier Space Institute, McGill University , 3550 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2A7, CanadaDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia , 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, CanadaAcademia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics , 645 N. A’ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USA; East Asian Observatory , 660 N. A’ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia , 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, CanadaDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , PO Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USADepartment of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California , Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA; Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, 50 St. George Street, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada; David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 50 St. George Street, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, CanadaDepartment of Physics, McGill University , 3600 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada; Trottier Space Institute, McGill University , 3550 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2A7, Canada; Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam , Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy , Oude Hoogeveensedijk 4, 7991 PD Dwingeloo, The NetherlandsDepartment of Physics, McGill University , 3600 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada; Trottier Space Institute, McGill University , 3550 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2A7, CanadaDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , PO Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USAMiller Institute for Basic Research, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Astronomy, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720, USADepartment of Physics, McGill University , 3600 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada; Trottier Space Institute, McGill University , 3550 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2A7, CanadaMIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Union College , Schenectady, NY 12308, USAInternational Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University , Bentley, WA 6102, Australia; Australian SKA Regional Centre (AusSRC), Curtin University , Bentley, WA 6102, AustraliaMIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USADunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, 50 St. George Street, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada; David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 50 St. George Street, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, CanadaDepartment of Physics, McGill University , 3600 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada; Trottier Space Institute, McGill University , 3550 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2A7, CanadaNational Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA ; fengqiu.dong@gmail.comDunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, 50 St. George Street, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada; Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University , 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON MJ3 1P3, CanadaPerimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics , 31 Caroline Street North, Waterloo, ON N2L 2Y5, CanadaWe report the discovery of CHIME J1634+44, a long-period radio transient (LPT) unique for two aspects: it is the first known LPT to emit fully circularly polarized radio bursts, and it is the first LPT with a significant spin-up. Given that high circular polarization (>90%) has been observed in FRB 20201124A and in some giant pulses of PSR B1937+21, we discuss the implications of the high circular polarization of CHIME J1634+44 and conclude its emission mechanism is likely to be “pulsar-like.” While CHIME J1634+44 has a pulse period of 841 s, its burst arrival patterns are indicative of a secondary 4206 s period, probably associated with binary activity. The timing properties suggest it has a significantly negative period derivative of $\dot{P}=-9.03(0.11)\times {10}^{-12}$ s s ^−1 . Few systems have been known to spin up, most notably transitional millisecond pulsars and cataclysmic binaries, both of which seem unlikely progenitors for CHIME J1634+44. If the period was only associated with the spin of the object, then the spin-up is likely generated by accretion of material from a companion. If, however, the radio pulse period and the orbital period are locked, as appears to be the case for two other LPTs, the spin-up of CHIME J1634+44 could be driven by gravitational-wave radiation.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adeaabBinary pulsarsWhite dwarf starsRadio transient sourcesRadio pulsarsCompact binary stars |
| spellingShingle | Fengqiu Adam Dong Kaitlyn Shin Casey Law Mason Ng Ingrid Stairs Geoffrey Bower Alyssa Cassity Emmanuel Fonseca B. M. Gaensler Jason W. T. Hessels Victoria M. Kaspi Bikash Kharel Calvin Leung Robert A. Main Kiyoshi W. Masui James W. McKee Bradley W. Meyers Obinna Modilim Ayush Pandhi Aaron B. Pearlman Scott M. Ransom Paul Scholz Kendrick Smith CHIME/Fast Radio Burst Discovery of an Unusual Circularly Polarized Long-period Radio Transient with an Accelerating Spin Period The Astrophysical Journal Letters Binary pulsars White dwarf stars Radio transient sources Radio pulsars Compact binary stars |
| title | CHIME/Fast Radio Burst Discovery of an Unusual Circularly Polarized Long-period Radio Transient with an Accelerating Spin Period |
| title_full | CHIME/Fast Radio Burst Discovery of an Unusual Circularly Polarized Long-period Radio Transient with an Accelerating Spin Period |
| title_fullStr | CHIME/Fast Radio Burst Discovery of an Unusual Circularly Polarized Long-period Radio Transient with an Accelerating Spin Period |
| title_full_unstemmed | CHIME/Fast Radio Burst Discovery of an Unusual Circularly Polarized Long-period Radio Transient with an Accelerating Spin Period |
| title_short | CHIME/Fast Radio Burst Discovery of an Unusual Circularly Polarized Long-period Radio Transient with an Accelerating Spin Period |
| title_sort | chime fast radio burst discovery of an unusual circularly polarized long period radio transient with an accelerating spin period |
| topic | Binary pulsars White dwarf stars Radio transient sources Radio pulsars Compact binary stars |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adeaab |
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