H. K. Vedantham

The magnetic field and turbulence of the cosmic web measured using a brilliant fast radio burst

Probing the intergalactic magnetic field Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are powerful flashes of astronomical radio waves that last just milliseconds and whose origins are a matter of debate. Ravi et al. discovered a FRB that is exceptionally bright (see the Perspective by Kaspi). This allowed them to measure how the polarization of the signal varies with wavelength (Faraday rotation). Combining this with the time delay of the flash at different wavelengths revealed the mean magnetic field along the line of sight. Assuming that the FRB originates from a colocated galaxy, the results constrain the intergalactic magnetic field and will inform models of galaxy formation and cosmology. Science, this issue p. 1249; see also p. 1230 A fast radio burst allows astronomers to constrain the intergalactic magnetic field. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration events thought to originate beyond the Milky Way galaxy. Uncertainty surrounding the burst sources, and their propagation through intervening plasma, has limited their use as cosmological probes. We report on a mildly dispersed (dispersion measure 266.5 ± 0.1 parsecs per cubic centimeter), exceptionally intense (120 ± 30 janskys), linearly polarized, scintillating burst (FRB 150807) that we directly localize to 9 square arc minutes. On the basis of a low Faraday rotation (12.0 ± 0.7 radians per square meter), we infer negligible magnetization in the circum-burst plasma and constrain the net magnetization of the cosmic web along this sightline to <21 nanogauss, parallel to the line-of-sight. The burst scintillation suggests weak turbulence in the ionized intergalactic medium.

Upper Limits on the 21 cm Epoch of Reionization Power Spectrum from One Night with LOFAR

We present the first limits on the Epoch of Reionization 21 cm H I power spectra, in the redshift range z = 7.9–10.6, using the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) High-Band Antenna (HBA). In total, 13.0 hr of data were used from observations centered on the North Celestial Pole. After subtraction of the sky model and the noise bias, we detect a non-zero Δ^2_I = (56 ± 13 mK)^2 (1-σ) excess variance and a best 2-σ upper limit of Δ^2_(21) < (79.6 mK)^2 at k = 0.053 h cMpc^(−1) in the range z = 9.6–10.6. The excess variance decreases when optimizing the smoothness of the direction- and frequency-dependent gain calibration, and with increasing the completeness of the sky model. It is likely caused by (i) residual side-lobe noise on calibration baselines, (ii) leverage due to nonlinear effects, (iii) noise and ionosphere-induced gain errors, or a combination thereof. Further analyses of the excess variance will be discussed in forthcoming publications.

On associating Fast Radio Bursts with afterglows

A radio source that faded over six days, with a redshift of

Lunar occultation of the diffuse radio sky: LOFAR measurements between 35 and 80 MHz

z\approx0.5

THE FLUENCE AND DISTANCE DISTRIBUTIONS OF FAST RADIO BURSTS

host, has been identified by Keane et al. (2016) as the transient afterglow to a fast radio burst (FRB 150418). We report follow-up radio and optical observations of the afterglow candidate and find a source that is consistent with an active galactic nucleus. If the afterglow candidate is nonetheless a prototypical FRB afterglow, existing slow-transient surveys limit the fraction of FRBs that produce afterglows to 0.25 for afterglows with fractional variation,

Scintillation noise power spectrum and its impact on high redshift 21-cm observations

m=2|S_1-S_2|/(S_1+S_2)\geq0.7

A Tale of Two Transients: GW 170104 and GRB 170105A

, and 0.07 for

The Cosmic Dawn and Epoch of Reionisation with SKA

m\geq1

iPTF17cw: An Engine-driven Supernova Candidate Discovered Independent of a Gamma-Ray Trigger

, at 95% confidence. In anticipation of a barrage of bursts expected from future FRB surveys, we provide a simple framework for statistical association of FRBs with afterglows. Our framework properly accounts for statistical uncertainties, and ensures consistency with limits set by slow-transient surveys.

Symmetric Achromatic Variability in Active Galaxies: A Powerful New Gravitational Lensing Probe?

We present radio observations of the Moon between 35 and 80 MHz to demonstrate a novel technique of interferometrically measuring large-scale diffuse emission extending far beyond the primary beam (global signal) for the first time. In particular, we show that (i) the Moon appears as a negative-flux source at frequencies 35 z > 12) and the Epoch of Reionization (12 > z > 5).