Gravitational-Wave Constraints on the Progenitors of Fast Radio Bursts

TL;DR

This paper uses gravitational-wave data from LIGO and Virgo to constrain models suggesting that fast radio bursts originate from binary coalescences of neutron stars and black holes, narrowing down their possible progenitors.

Contribution

It demonstrates how gravitational-wave measurements can be used to limit the viability of binary coalescence models for FRB origins, providing new constraints on their progenitors.

Findings

Binary black hole coalescence rate constrained to about 5% of FRB rate

Advanced LIGO data limits on neutron star and black hole merger contributions to FRBs

Gravitational-wave observations can significantly restrict FRB progenitor models

Abstract

The nature of fast radio bursts (FRBs) remains enigmatic. Highly energetic radio pulses of millisecond duration, FRBs are observed with dispersion measures consistent with an extragalactic source. A variety of models have been proposed to explain their origin. One popular class of theorized FRB progenitor is the coalescence of compact binaries composed of neutron stars and/or black holes. Such coalescence events are strong gravitational-wave emitters. We demonstrate that measurements made by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational-wave observatories can be leveraged to severely constrain the validity of FRB binary coalescence models. Existing measurements constrain the binary black hole rate to approximately $5\%$ of the FRB rate, and results from Advanced LIGO's O1 and O2 observing runs may place similarly strong constraints on the fraction of FRBs due to binary neutron star and neutron star--black hole progenitors.