Classifying RRATs and FRBs

TL;DR

This paper investigates the classification criteria for fast radio transients, highlighting potential mislabeling of some events as RRATs or FRBs, and explores how these uncertainties affect observed distribution patterns.

Contribution

It identifies possible misclassification of single pulse events and analyzes how labeling uncertainties influence the observed FRB rate distribution.

Findings

Some RRATs may actually be misclassified FRBs.

Uncertainty in classification affects the observed latitude distribution.

Galactic-latitude bias impacts FRB rate observations.

Abstract

In this paper we consider the fact that the simple criterion used to label fast radio transient events as either fast radio bursts (FRBs, thought to be extragalactic with as yet unknown progenitors) or rotating radio transients (RRATs, thought to be Galactic neutron stars) is uncertain. We identify single pulse events reported in the literature which have never been seen to repeat, and which have been labelled as RRATs, but are potentially mis-labelled FRBs. We examine the probability that such `grey area' events are within the Milky Way. The uncertainty in the RRAT/FRB labelling criterion, as well as Galactic-latitude dependent reporting bias may be contributing to the observed latitude dependence of the FRB rate, in addition to effects such as Eddington bias due to scintillation.