LAUSR

Never-before-observed behavior of a repeating burst suggests its possible origin In just a tiny fraction of a second, a fast radio burst (FRB) in the distant cosmos can emit as much energy as the Sun does in several days. The sources of these intense bursts, observed only as radio waves, have been elusive. Studies on FRBs that repeat indicate that their progenitors reside in diverse environments within far-away galaxies. Some “repeaters” also appear to have an associated persistent source, likely a radio nebula, that may be powered by a magnetar (highly magnetized neutron star) or a black hole. The nature of these sources might provide information about the origin of FRBs. On page 599 of this issue, Anna-Thomas et al. (1) report a highly variable medium with turbulent magnetic fields surrounding a repeating FRB. This observation suggests that the pulses of radio wave emission may come from a compact object accompanied by a binary companion with strong stellar winds.