Are Fast Radio Bursts Made By Neutron Stars?

TL;DR

This paper critically examines neutron star models for Fast Radio Bursts, presenting evidence against them and proposing a black hole jet precession as a more plausible explanation for observed periodicities.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of evidence challenging neutron star origins for FRBs and introduces a black hole jet precession model for periodic FRB behavior.

Findings

Lack of Galactic micro-FRB supports non-neutron star origins.

16-day periodicity attributed to black hole jet precession.

Evidence against giant pulsar-like FRB models.

Abstract

Popular models of repeating Fast Radio Bursts (and perhaps of all Fast Radio Bursts) involve neutron stars because of their high rotational or magnetostatic energy densities. These models take one of two forms: giant but rare pulsar-like pulses like those of Rotating RAdio Transients and outbursts like those of Soft Gamma Repeaters. Here I collate the evidence, recently strengthened, against these models, including the absence of Galactic micro-FRB, and attribute the 16 day periodicity of FRB 180916.J0158+65 to the precession of a jet produced by a massive black hole's accretion disc.