Hōʻike hou ʻia nā lekiō ultrafast ʻike ʻole i ka manawa maoli

He mau haneli mika ma ka ʻākea ākea e waiho ana i kahi kiʻi ʻaneʻane hakahaka ma ka ʻili o ka Honua, ʻo ka Arecibo Observatory ma Puerto Rico e like me ka nānā ʻana i ka maka manu e like me nā lua o ka mahina i ka maka o ke kanaka ke nānā ʻia mai ka Honua. Ke noʻonoʻo nei ʻo ia kekahi o ka mea nui loa ma ka honua, ʻo ka Arecibo Observatory kekahi o nā telescopes liʻiliʻi e hoʻoikaika nei e wehe i ke ala no ka hoʻomaopopo hohonu ʻana i ke kahua o ka lewa extragalactic. ʻOiai ʻaʻole e like me ka ʻai ʻana i ka nui o ka nui o ke kino, ʻo ka Parkes Observatory ma Australia (ke ana ʻana i kahi 64m liʻiliʻi o ke anawaena) ua hoʻonui nui ʻia ka hoihoi ma waena o ke kaiāulu astrophysicist no kahi kokoke i kahi ʻumi makahiki i kēia manawa. 

Ma muli o ka nui o kēia i ka astrophysicist Duncan Lorimer, ʻo ia kekahi o nā mea noiʻi mua ma ka Parkes Observatory i ʻike i kahi ʻano hana lewa kūʻokoʻa a kakaʻikahi: nā lekiō ultrafast mai, e like me ka ʻike ʻana, kahi mamao a kahi mamao loa ma waho o ko mākou ala Milky.

Ua hoʻomaka nā mea a pau i ka makahiki 2007, i ka wā e ʻimi ana ʻo Lorimer a me kāna hui i nā moʻolelo kahiko o ka ʻikepili o ka telescope mai 2001 a, e like me ka mea i loaʻa, ua ʻike lākou i hoʻokahi nalu lekiō, hoʻokahi, a ikaika loa o kahi kumu ʻike ʻole. ʻO kēia hawewe lekiō hoʻokahi, ʻoiai he millisecond wale nō ka lōʻihi, ua ʻike ʻia e hoʻopuka i ka ikehu ma mua o ka lā i loko o hoʻokahi miliona mau makahiki. ʻO ka ʻē aʻe o kēia FRB (wikiwiki wikiwiki) ʻoi aku ka nui o ka nānā ʻana i ka wā i hoʻomaka ai ka hui e aʻo i kahi i hele mua mai ai kēia hanana ikaika, millisecond-long mau loa. 

Ma o ke ana o ka hopena astronomical i kapa ʻia ʻo plasma dispersion - he kaʻina hana e hoʻoholo pono ai i ka nui o nā hawewe uila uila i hoʻopili ʻia ma ko lākou ala i ka lewa honua - ua hoʻoholo lākou ua holo kēia mau lekiō wikiwiki ma waho o nā palena. o ko kakou galaxy. ʻO ka ʻoiaʻiʻo, ua hōʻike ʻia nā ana hoʻopuehu ʻana o ka lekiō wikiwiki i ʻike ʻia i ka makahiki 2011 i hoʻomaka mai ma kahi o hoʻokahi piliona mau makahiki māmā. No ka hoʻohālikelike ʻana i kēia, ʻo kā mākou galaxy ponoʻī he 120,000 mau makahiki māmā wale nō ke anawaena. Ua ʻike ʻia kēia mau nalu e hele mai ana mai 5.5 biliona makahiki māmā.

E like me ka hoihoi o kēia ʻike i ka manawa no ka poʻe astrophysicist, ʻo nā leo hou loa o ka lekiō wikiwiki, i ʻike hou ʻia ma ka Parkes Observatory ma Australia, e hoʻomaka e hoʻopiha i kahi ʻāpana koʻikoʻi i kēia puʻupuʻu extragalactic. ʻAʻole i hoʻopaʻa wale ka hui ma Australia i hoʻokahi o nā lekiō wikiwiki ʻehiku wale nō (i ko mākou ʻike) mai nā makahiki he 10 i hala iho nei, ua hiki iā lākou ke hopu i ka hanana i ka manawa maoli. Ma muli o ko lākou mākaukau, ua hiki i ka hui ke hoʻomaopopo i nā telescope ʻē aʻe a puni ka honua e kuhikuhi i ko lākou nānā ʻana i ka ʻāpana kūpono o ka lewa a hana i nā scans subsidiary i nā pohā e ʻike ai (inā loaʻa) nā lōʻihi nalu e ʻike ʻia. 

Mai kēia mau ʻike, ua aʻo nā ʻepekema i ka ʻike koʻikoʻi ʻaʻole paha e haʻi pololei iā mākou i ka mea a i ʻole kahi e hele mai ai ka FRB, akā hoʻowahāwahā i ka mea ʻaʻole lākou. E hoʻopaʻapaʻa kekahi ʻo ka ʻike ʻana i ka mea ʻaʻole he mea nui ia e like me ka ʻike ʻana i ke ʻano o ia mea, ʻoiai inā ʻoe e pili ana i ka mea pōʻeleʻele, ʻoiai ʻoi aku ka liʻiliʻi o ka ʻike e pili ana i kēia kumuhana ma mua o nā kumu ʻē aʻe i loko o ka lewa.

I ka nui ʻole o ka ʻike, e kū mai nā manaʻo ʻepekema maikaʻi a me ka lapuwale. ʻO ia ka hihia me nā lekiō pohihihi, kahi i wānana ai ʻo Lorimer e hoʻonui wale ʻia ke kūlana i nā makahiki he ʻumi e hiki mai ana, me ka ʻōlelo ʻana "No kekahi manawa, ʻoi aku ka nui o nā manaʻo ma mua o ka pohā ʻike ʻia." 

Ua lohe ʻia ʻo ia e hoʻihoʻi i ka manaʻo he hiki ke lilo kēia mau ʻūhā i hōʻailona o ka naʻauao extraterrestrial. Ua lohe ʻia ʻo Duncan Lorimer, ka astrophysicist nāna i alakaʻi i ka hui ma ka Parkes Observatory a ʻo ia ka inoa o ka FRB ma hope mai, ua lohe ʻia e pāʻani me ka manaʻo he hopena paha kēia mau nalu i ka hoʻāʻo ʻana o kekahi martian aloha e ʻai i kahi kakahiaka 'hello'. mai kekahi galaxy mamao a mamao. Ua haʻi ʻia ʻo Lorimer i ka wā o kahi ninaninau me NPR, e ʻōlelo ana "he mau kūkākūkā ʻana i loko o nā puke e pili ana i nā pūlima mai nā moʻomeheu extraterrestrial," ʻoiai ʻaʻole ʻo ia e hōʻoia inā kākoʻo piha ʻo ia i kēia mau hoʻopiʻi. 

ʻO ka ʻoiaʻiʻo, ʻo ka hapa nui o ka ʻepekema ʻepekema me he mea lā ke kānalua iki nei e kau i kekahi koʻikoʻi i loko o kēia mau mea, a i ʻole no ia mea, manaʻo no ka mea ʻo ia wale nō; nā manaʻo me ke kani ʻole.

Ma mua o ka loaʻa ʻana o nā manaʻo e hoʻopaʻapaʻa, akā naʻe, ʻo nā FRB a Lorimer i hōʻiliʻili mua ai mai ka ʻikepili i ka makahiki 2001, ua manaʻo nui ʻia e nā ʻepekema (a hiki i kēia manawa) he kumu a me kahi wahi i ʻoi aku ka nui o ka ʻāina a ʻoi aku ka liʻiliʻi o ke kumu. ma ke kumu. ʻOiai ua hōʻiliʻili ʻo Lorimer a me kāna hui i hoʻokahi laʻana o ka FRB mai kā lākou ʻikepili 2011, ʻaʻohe mea i hoʻopaʻa ʻia o kēia mau hawewe lekiō i hana ʻia mai loko mai o ka hoʻonohonoho ʻikepili Parkes Observatory a i ʻole nā ​​mea hana like ʻole a puni ka honua. A no ka mea, ua ʻike ʻia ka poʻe ʻepekema i kānalua nui i kekahi hōʻike a i ʻole noiʻi i hana ʻia me ka ʻole o ka hōʻoia ʻana o ka ʻaoʻao ʻekolu, ua kākau ʻia ka pahu Lorimer e like me ke ʻano o ka ʻenehana i ʻike mua ʻia. Me he mea lā ua piʻi aʻe kēia kānalua i ka makahiki 2013, ua ʻike ʻia e ka telescope Parkes i ʻehā mau pohā hou, akā i kēia manawa ua hōʻike nā FRB i nā hiʻohiʻona i hoʻohālikelike ʻia i nā ʻano like ʻole me kahi interference radio i ʻike ʻia he kumu honua: perytons.

Ua hiki i nā kānaka ʻepekema ke hoʻoholo mai nā ana hoʻopuehu kiʻekiʻe o ka hū ʻana o Lorimer no ka ʻāina hōkū. ʻO ka ʻepekema ʻenehana ma hope o kēia ana, e kōkua i ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana i ke kumu i kuhihewa ʻia ai kēia mau nalu no nā perytons, maʻalahi maoli. ʻOi aku ka mamao o kahi mea, ʻoi aku ka nui o ka plasma e pili ana me ia (ʻo ia hoʻi. ʻO ka manawa ma waena o kēia mau manawa hōʻea e hōʻike maʻamau i kahi kumu kumu i loko a i waho paha o nā ʻāpana o kā mākou galaxy. ʻAʻole loaʻa kēia ʻano o ka dispersion spectrum me nā mea i loaʻa i loko o kā mākou galaxy, koe wale nō ka hihia maʻamau o nā perytons. ʻOiai e hoʻomāʻewaʻewa ana i ke ʻano o kahi kumu e puka mai ana mai kahi ākea extragalactic, ʻo nā perytons he kumu ʻoiaʻiʻo no ka terrestrial a, e like me ka pohā o Lorimer, ua ʻike wale ʻia e ka Parkes Observatory. 

Hiki iā ʻoe ke hoʻomaka e ʻike i ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka poʻe ʻepekema i manaʻo mua i ke kumu o ka FRB i kahi kumu lani e kā lākou ʻenehana ponoʻī. ʻO ka poʻe hoʻomaloka a me ka poʻe hōʻole, ua lilo koke lākou i mea kānalua e pili ana i ka hāʻawi ʻana i kēia mau nalu i ke kūlana extragalactic, ʻoiai he hanana kūʻokoʻa, a hiki i ka wā i hōʻoia ai lākou i ka ʻike ʻana i kēia mau nalu mai kahi telescope ʻē aʻe ma kahi kaʻawale. Ua ʻae ʻo Lorimer ʻaʻole e hāʻawi ʻia kāna mau ʻike i ke ʻano o ka pono ʻepekema e koi ʻia e ke kaiāulu a hiki i ka hoʻopaʻa ʻia ʻana mai kahi mea nānā ʻē aʻe me ka hoʻohana ʻana i "nā hui like ʻole [a], nā mea hana like ʻole".

I Nowemapa i ka makahiki 2012, ua loaʻa ka pane i nā pule koʻikoʻi a Lorimer a me nā mea noiʻi ʻē aʻe i manaʻoʻiʻo ua hele mai kēia mau FRB mai waho o kā mākou galaxy. Ua ʻike ʻia ʻo FRB12110, kahi lekiō wikiwiki o ka ʻano like i hōʻike ʻia ma Australia, ma ka Arecibo Observatory ma Puerto Rico. ʻO ka mamao ma waena o Puerto Rico a me Australia - ma kahi o 17,000 kilomita - ʻo ia wale nō ke ʻano o ka lewa a ka poʻe noiʻi i manaʻo ai e kau ma waena o ka ʻike ʻana i nā FRB, hiki iā lākou ke hōʻoia i kēia manawa ʻaʻole kēia mau nalu aliʻi he anomaly o ka telescope Parkes a i kona wahi.

I kēia manawa ua hōʻoia kēia mau FRB i ko lākou kūpono i loko o ke aʻo ʻana i ka astrophysics, ʻo ka hana aʻe e ʻike i kahi e hele mai ai kēia mau pohā a me ke kumu o lākou. ʻO ka hoʻāʻo ʻana ma ka telescope SWIFT ua hōʻoia ʻia aia he 2 mau kumu kukui X i ke kuhikuhi o ka FRB, akā ma waho o kēlā, ʻaʻohe mau nalu ʻē aʻe i ʻike ʻia. Ma ka ʻike ʻole ʻana i kekahi ʻano hana ʻē aʻe i ka spectrum o nā nalu ʻē aʻe, ua hiki i nā ʻepekema ke kāpae i nā manaʻo hoʻopaʻapaʻa ʻē aʻe mai ka manaʻo ʻia he mau wehewehe kūpono no ke kumu o ka FRB. 

Ma waho aʻe o ka nānā ʻole ʻana i kēia mau pahū ʻana i nā nalu ʻē aʻe, ua ʻike lākou ua hoʻopuni ʻia nā FRB ma mua o ka laina laina, e hōʻike ana aia nō lākou i mua o kekahi māla magnetic ikaika. Ma ke kaʻina hana o ka hoʻopau ʻana, ua hiki i nā ʻepekema ke hoʻokaʻawale i nā kumu kumu o kēia mau poha i ʻekolu mau ʻāpana: ʻO ka hāʻule ʻana o nā lua ʻeleʻele (i ʻike ʻia i kēia manawa he blitzars), nā lapalapa nunui i hana ʻia mai nā magnetars (nā hōkū neutron me kahi kahua magnetic kiʻekiʻe), a i ʻole lākou. ʻO ka hopena o ka hui ʻana ma waena o nā hōkū neutron a me nā lua ʻeleʻele. Hiki i nā manaʻo ʻekolu ke kūpono i kēia manawa, no ka mea, ʻoi aku ka nui o ka ʻike a mākou i ʻike ʻole ai e pili ana i kēia mau pahū ikaika ma mua o ka ʻike a mākou i hōʻuluʻulu ai.