Fast Radio Bursts from the collapse of Strange Star Crusts

TL;DR

This paper proposes that fast radio bursts originate from the collapse of strange star crusts, releasing magnetic energy and electron/positron pairs that produce observable FRBs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel model linking strange star crust collapse to FRBs, explaining their basic observed characteristics.

Findings

FRBs can be produced by coherent emission from electron shells

Collapse of strange star crusts releases magnetic energy and pairs

Model explains basic features of observed FRBs

Abstract

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are transient radio sources at cosmological distances. No counterparts in other bands have been observed for { non-repeating FRBs}. Here we suggest the collapse of strange star crusts as a possible origin for FRBs. Strange stars, which are composed of almost equal numbers of u, d, and s quarks, may be encapsulated by a thin crust of normal hadronic matter. When a strange star accretes matter from its environment, the crust becomes heavier and heavier. It may finally collapse, leading to the release of a large amount of magnetic energy and plenty of electron/positron pairs on a very short timescale. Electron/positron pairs in the polar cap region of the strange star can be accelerated to relativistic velocities, streaming along the magnetic field lines to form a thin shell. FRBs are produced by coherent emission from these electrons when the shell is expanding. Basic characteristics of observed FRBs can be explained in our model.