A link between repeating and non-repeating fast radio bursts through their energy distributions
Franz Kirsten, O. S. Ould-Boukattine, Wolfgang Herrmann, Marcin Gawroński, J. W. T. Hessels, Wen Lu, M. P. Snelders, Pragya Chawla, Jun Yang, R. Blaauw, Kenzie Nimmo, W. Puchalska, P. Wolak, R. van Ruiten
Abstract
Abstract Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are extremely energetic, millisecond-duration radio flashes that reach Earth from extragalactic distances. Broadly speaking, FRBs can be classified as repeating or (apparently) non-repeating. It is still unclear, however, whether the two types share a common physical origin and differ only in their activity rate. Here we report on an observing campaign that targeted one hyperactive repeating source, FRB 20201124A, for more than 2,000 h using four 25–32 m class radio telescopes. We detected 46 high-energy bursts, many more than one would expect given previous observations of lower-energy bursts using larger radio telescopes. We find a high-energy burst distribution that resembles that of the non-repeating FRB population, suggesting that apparently non-repeating FRB sources may simply be the rarest bursts from repeating sources. Also, we discuss how FRB 20201124A contributes strongly to the all-sky FRB rate and how similar sources would be observable even at very high redshift.