Do they repeat? Monitoring 36 non-repeating FRBs with FAST

TL;DR

This study used FAST to observe 36 candidate non-repeating FRBs, finding no repeats and setting the most stringent upper limits on their repetition rates to date, which helps clarify their nature.

Contribution

It combines empirical follow-up observations with statistical modeling to improve constraints on the repetition rates of non-repeating FRBs.

Findings

No FRB repeats detected in 36 candidates.

Established upper limits on FRB repetition rates.

Provided the most stringent constraints to date.

Abstract

The origin of fast radio bursts (FRBs), highly energetic, millisecond-duration radio pulses originating from beyond our galaxy, remains unknown. Observationally, FRBs are classified as non-repeating or repeating, however, this classification is complicated by limited observing time and sensitivity constraints, which may result in some repeating FRBs being misidentified as non-repeating. To address this issue, we adopt both empirical and machine-learning techniques from previous studies to identify candidates that may have been misclassified. We conducted follow-up observations of 36 such candidates, each observed for 10 minutes using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST). No radio bursts exceeding a signal-to-noise ratio of 7 were detected, with a typical 7 sigma fluence limit of ~0.013 Jy ms. We constrain the repetition rates of these sources using two statistical models of FRB occurrence. Combining our FAST non-detections with prior observations, we derive upper limits on the repetition rates of ~$10^{-2.6}$-$10^{-0.22}$ hr$^{-1}$ under a Poisson process, and ~$10^{-2.3}$-$10^{-0.25}$ hr$^{-1}$ under a Weibull process. This work presents one of the most stringent upper limits on FRB repetition rates to date, based on a sample size five times larger than those used in previous studies.