Scientists have detected a strange sound like heart beat

Scientists have detected a strange sound like heart beat

A “strange and persistent” radio signal that sounded like a heartbeat was found by scientists coming from a distant galaxy. A rapid radio burst, or FRB, which lasted far longer than expected, was spotted by astronomers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other locations.

Strong radio wave bursts, called FRBs, often last a few milliseconds. But, according to a press release, the unique signal lasted up to three seconds, which is 1,000 times longer than usual. The unknown is the astrophysical source of FRBs.

Throughout.02 seconds, the signal repeated in a distinct manner that resembled a pulse.

Daniele Michilli, a postdoc at MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, described the event as “strange.” “Not only did it endure for around three seconds, but it also had very exact periodic peaks that emitted every fraction of a second, boom, boom, boom, like a heartbeat. The signal itself is periodic for the first time at this point.”

The signal originated in a far-off galaxy, many billions of light-years from Earth. The signal has been designated FRB 20191221A by MIT and McGill University researchers, who released a paper on it. It is now the longest-lasting FRB discovered, with the most distinct periodic pattern.

Since the first FRB was discovered in 2007, hundreds of other radio flashes have also been seen in space.

The CHIME interferometric radio telescope, which continually scans the sky and is sensitive to brief radio bursts, was developed in Canada.

The majority of FRBs are one-time events that last only a few milliseconds. Although the signal seemed more random than periodic, it was recently found to reoccur every 16 days.

But CHIME discovered the recurring, heartbeat-like signal in December 2019. At the moment, Michilli was examining the incoming data. According to Michilli, “there aren’t many entities in the world that generate precisely periodic signals.”

Scientists believe that the new FRB may have come from a radio pulsar or magnetar, both of which are neutron stars, but its origin is yet unknown. These are the cores of big stars that have collapsed and are spinning quickly.

According to Michilli, “CHIME has now identified several FRBs with various characteristics. “Some of the creatures we’ve observed dwell in very chaotic clouds, while others seem to be in pristine settings. We may infer from the characteristics of this new signal that the plasma cloud around this source must be quite turbulent.”

They anticipate catching further bursts from FRB 20191221A. They could benefit from the discovery as they research neutron stars and the cosmos.

According to Michilli, “This observation begs the issue of what may be the source of this extreme signal that we have never seen, and how can we utilize this signal to investigate the cosmos.” “Future telescopes promise to locate thousands of FRBs a month, and at that time we may uncover many more of these periodic signals,” the statement said.