Magnetospheric origin of a fast radio burst constrained using scintillation

TL;DR

This study uses scintillation measurements of FRB 20221022A to constrain its emission region size, supporting a magnetospheric origin over large radial distance models, and demonstrates scintillation's utility in understanding FRB physics.

Contribution

The paper presents the first measurement of two scintillation scales in an FRB spectrum, constraining the emission size and supporting a magnetospheric origin, using scintillation as a diagnostic tool.

Findings

Emission region size constrained to less than 3×10^4 km.

Results are inconsistent with large radial distance emission models.

Supports a magnetospheric emission process for the FRB.

Abstract

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are micro-to-millisecond duration radio transients that originate mostly from extragalactic distances. The emission mechanism responsible for these high luminosity, short duration transients remains debated. The models are broadly grouped into two classes: physical processes that occur within close proximity to a central engine; and central engines that release energy which moves to large radial distances and subsequently interacts with surrounding media producing radio waves. The expected emission region sizes are notably different between these two types of models. FRB emission size constraints can therefore be used to distinguish between these competing models and inform on the physics responsible. Here we present the measurement of two mutually coherent scintillation scales in the frequency spectrum of FRB 20221022A: one originating from a scattering screen located within the Milky Way, and the second originating from a scattering screen located within its host galaxy or local environment. We use the scattering media as an astrophysical lens to constrain the size of the lateral emission region, $R_{\star\mathrm{obs}} \lesssim 3\times10^{4}$ km. We find that this is inconsistent with the expected emission sizes for the large radial distance models, and is more naturally explained with an emission process that operates within or just beyond the magnetosphere of a central compact object. Recently, FRB 20221022A was found to exhibit an S-shaped polarisation angle swing, supporting a magnetospheric emission process. The scintillation results presented in this work independently support this conclusion, while highlighting scintillation as a useful tool in our understanding of FRB emission physics and progenitors.