The periodic origin of fast radio bursts

TL;DR

This paper evaluates various theoretical models explaining the periodic activity of fast radio bursts (FRBs) using X-ray and gamma-ray data, identifying geodetic precession as the most plausible mechanism for FRB 180916.

Contribution

It systematically tests multiple periodic models against observational data and proposes future observational strategies to distinguish among them.

Findings

Orbital, free precession, radiation-driven precession, fall-back disk precession, and rotation models are inconsistent with observations.

Geodetic precession model is most consistent with the periodic activity of FRB 180916.

Proposes methods for future observational tests of these models.

Abstract

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are pulsed radio signals with a duration of milliseconds and a large dispersion measure (DM). Recent observations indicate that FRB 180916 and FRB 121102 show periodic activities. Some theoretical models have been proposed to explain periodic FRBs, and here we test these using corresponding X-ray and $\gamma$-ray observations. We find that the orbital periodic model, the free precession model, the radiation-driven precession model, the fall-back disk precession model where eccentricity is due to the internal magnetic field, and the rotation periodic model are not consistent with observations. The geodetic precession model is the most likely periodic model for FRB 180916. We also propose methods to test the periodic models with yet-to-be-obtained observational data in the future.