Dartmouth Events

Abstract: Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond duration radio bursts with applications as cosmic probes. However, their origins remain largely unknown. Magnetars are a natural candidate for producing the enigmatic FRB because they are fundamentally dynamic, extremely energetic, and compact. Exploiting this fundamentally dynamic nature, we aim to build a model for producing FRBs that is grounded in a concrete triggering mechanism. I will discuss the evolution of the various low frequency wave modes that are expected to be produced by dynamic magnetar behavior. In particular, I will present the result of first-principles kinetic simulations of the non-linear evolution of fast magnetosonic waves in a realistic magnetosphere. We will see that these fast waves can steepen into one of the strongest shocks in the universe, the monster shock. Monster shocks create a coherent precursor wave that propagates ahead of the shock with properties suggestive of fast radio bursts, while the shock heated plasma will cool and may contribute to the X-ray counterpart seen with the galactic FRB. I will discuss properties of the coherent radio emission produced from these shocks and the implications this may have on FRB observations.

Hosted by Postdoctoral Associate Adrien Soudais 

Zoom Link: https://dartmouth.zoom.us/j/99960465228