FRB 121102: A repeatedly combed neutron star by a nearby low-luminosity accreting super-massive black hole

TL;DR

This paper proposes the cosmic comb model, suggesting that the repeating FRB 121102's properties are caused by a neutron star's magnetosphere being intermittently disturbed by a nearby low-luminosity super-massive black hole, explaining its unique observational features.

Contribution

It introduces the cosmic comb model as a novel explanation for the properties of repeating FRB 121102, linking it to a neutron star influenced by a nearby black hole.

Findings

The model explains the high and variable rotation measure of FRB 121102.

It accounts for the high linear polarization and stable polarization angle.

Predicts observable signatures to test the model's validity.

Abstract

The origin of fast radio bursts (FRBs) remains mysterious. Recently, the only repeating FRB source, FRB 121102, was reported to possess an extremely large and variable rotation measure (RM). The inferred magnetic field strength in the burst environment is comparable to that in the vicinity of the super-massive black hole Sagittarius A* of our Galaxy. Here we show that all the observational properties of FRB 121102 (including the high RM and its evolution, the high linear polarization degree, an invariant polarization angle across each burst and other properties previously known) can be interpreted within the cosmic comb model invoking a regular neutron star whose magnetosphere is sporadically and marginally combed by a variable outflow from a nearby low-luminosity accreting super-massive black hole in the host galaxy. We propose three falsifiable predictions of the model and discuss other FRBs within the context of the cosmic comb model as well as the challenges encountered by other repeating FRB models in light of the new observations.