http://arxiv.org/abs/2004.12050
The physical origin of fast radio bursts (FRBs) is unknown. Young magnetars born from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been suggested to be a possible central engine of FRBs. We test such a hypothesis by systematically searching for GRB-FRB spatial associations from 110 FRBs and 1440 GRBs. We find that one FRB event, FRB 171209, discovered by the Parkes telescope is spatially coincident with a historical long-duration GRB 110715A at $z=0.82$. The afterglow of GRB 110715A is consistent with being powered by a millisecond magnetar. The extragalactic dispersion measure of FRB 171209 is in excess of that contributed by the intergalactic medium, which can be interpreted as being contributed by a young supernova remnant associated with the GRB. Overall, the significance of the association is $(2.28 – 2.55) \sigma$. If the association is indeed physical, our result suggests that the magnetars associated with long GRBs can be the progenitors of at least some FRBs.
X. Wang, L. Li, Y. Yang, et. al.
Tue, 28 Apr 20
41/81
Comments: Accepted for publication in ApJL; 8 pages, 5 figures