High-time-resolution properties of 35 fast radio bursts detected by the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients Survey

TL;DR

This study provides high-time-resolution, polarimetric measurements of 35 FRBs, revealing diverse properties, microstructure, and polarization behaviors, challenging existing models of scattering and dispersion relations.

Contribution

It offers the first detailed microsecond-resolution analysis of FRB polarization and morphology, uncovering new features like microstructure and polarization sub-populations.

Findings

No correlation between scattering timescale and DM fluctuations.

At least half of FRBs show polarization microstructure.

A polarization distribution break at V ≥ 20%."

Abstract

We present microsecond-resolution, coherently-dedispersed, polarimetric measurements of 35 fast radio bursts (FRBs) detected during the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients (CRAFT) incoherent sum (ICS) survey with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). We find a wide diversity of time-frequency morphology and polarisation properties broadly consistent with those of currently known non-repeating FRBs. The high S/N and fine time-resolution of our data however reveals a wealth of new information. Key results include (i) the distribution of scattering timescales, ${\tau}_{obs}$, is limited purely by instrumental effects, with no downturn at high ${\tau}_{obs}$ as expected from a log-normal distribution; (ii) for the 29 FRBs with known redshift, there is no detectable correlation between $\tau_{obs}$ and dispersion measure (DM) fluctuations about the Macquart relation, in contrast to expectations from pulsar scattering-DM relations; (iii) all FRBs probably have multiple components, and at least a large fraction have variable PA, the identification of which is limited by scattering; (iv) at least half of all FRBs exhibit PA microstructure at 200 ${\mu}s$-200 ns timescales, with behaviour most closely resembling a sub-category of Crab main pulses; (v) that there is a break in the FRB circular polarisation distribution at Stokes V $\gtrsim$ 20%, which is suggestive of a discrete sub-population.