Constraining the Faint-end Slope of the Fast Radio Burst Energy Function Using CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 and Local Volume Galaxies
Despite hundreds of detected fast radio bursts (FRBs), the faint-end slope ( γ ) of their energy distribution remains poorly constrained, hindering understanding of whether bright, cosmological FRBs and faint, Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154-like bursts share a common origin. In this study, we const...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Mohit Bhardwaj Victoria M. Kaspi K. W. Masui B. M. Gaensler Adaeze L. Ibik Mawson W. Sammons |
| author_facet | Mohit Bhardwaj Victoria M. Kaspi K. W. Masui B. M. Gaensler Adaeze L. Ibik Mawson W. Sammons |
| author_sort | Mohit Bhardwaj |
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| description | Despite hundreds of detected fast radio bursts (FRBs), the faint-end slope ( γ ) of their energy distribution remains poorly constrained, hindering understanding of whether bright, cosmological FRBs and faint, Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154-like bursts share a common origin. In this study, we constrain this faint-end slope, modeled with a Schechter-like distribution, by searching for potential associations between bursts from the CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 and galaxies in the Local Volume. We crossmatched CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 FRBs with 495 Local Volume galaxies within 21 Mpc, identified from the HECATE catalog, and found no associations. Assuming the FRB energy function extends to ∼3 × 10 ^34 erg—the energy of the Galactic magnetar burst from SGR 1935+2154—this null result constrains γ to be <2.3 (95% confidence upper limit), representing the first empirical estimate for extragalactic FRBs at such low energies. This finding supports the hypothesis that the FRB population is dominated by bright, likely cosmological bursts with a relatively flat energy distribution ( γ < 2.5). However, the constraint weakens if higher-energy thresholds are assumed. A flatter energy function is consistent with the observed anticorrelation between FRB dispersion measure and fluence, as seen across various observational bands. While the contribution of low-energy bursts, such as those from the Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154, appears minimal, our results suggest that normal magnetars like SGR 1935+2154 could dominate the FRB population if their burst rates and energies scale with age and magnetic field. The upcoming CHIME/FRB Catalog-2 data and targeted nearby galaxy surveys will further refine these constraints, offering critical insight into whether FRBs arise from a single population or diverse origins. |
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| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-ac76166e01b64b18a473301c4dd9610c2025-08-20T03:59:45ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01989213010.3847/1538-4357/aded17Constraining the Faint-end Slope of the Fast Radio Burst Energy Function Using CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 and Local Volume GalaxiesMohit Bhardwaj0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3615-3514Victoria M. Kaspi1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9345-0307K. W. Masui2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4279-6946B. M. Gaensler3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3382-9558Adaeze L. Ibik4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2405-2967Mawson W. Sammons5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4623-5329McWilliams Center for Cosmology, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA ; mohitb@andrew.cmu.eduDepartment of Physics, McGill University , 3600 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada; Trottier Space Institute, McGill University , 3550 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2A7, CanadaMIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USADunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto , 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada; David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto , 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada; Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California Santa Cruz , 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USADunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto , 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada; David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto , 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, CanadaDepartment of Physics, McGill University , 3600 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada; Trottier Space Institute, McGill University , 3550 rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2A7, CanadaDespite hundreds of detected fast radio bursts (FRBs), the faint-end slope ( γ ) of their energy distribution remains poorly constrained, hindering understanding of whether bright, cosmological FRBs and faint, Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154-like bursts share a common origin. In this study, we constrain this faint-end slope, modeled with a Schechter-like distribution, by searching for potential associations between bursts from the CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 and galaxies in the Local Volume. We crossmatched CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 FRBs with 495 Local Volume galaxies within 21 Mpc, identified from the HECATE catalog, and found no associations. Assuming the FRB energy function extends to ∼3 × 10 ^34 erg—the energy of the Galactic magnetar burst from SGR 1935+2154—this null result constrains γ to be <2.3 (95% confidence upper limit), representing the first empirical estimate for extragalactic FRBs at such low energies. This finding supports the hypothesis that the FRB population is dominated by bright, likely cosmological bursts with a relatively flat energy distribution ( γ < 2.5). However, the constraint weakens if higher-energy thresholds are assumed. A flatter energy function is consistent with the observed anticorrelation between FRB dispersion measure and fluence, as seen across various observational bands. While the contribution of low-energy bursts, such as those from the Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154, appears minimal, our results suggest that normal magnetars like SGR 1935+2154 could dominate the FRB population if their burst rates and energies scale with age and magnetic field. The upcoming CHIME/FRB Catalog-2 data and targeted nearby galaxy surveys will further refine these constraints, offering critical insight into whether FRBs arise from a single population or diverse origins.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aded17Radio transient sourcesGalaxiesNeutron starsExtragalactic radio sourcesLuminosity function |
| spellingShingle | Mohit Bhardwaj Victoria M. Kaspi K. W. Masui B. M. Gaensler Adaeze L. Ibik Mawson W. Sammons Constraining the Faint-end Slope of the Fast Radio Burst Energy Function Using CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 and Local Volume Galaxies The Astrophysical Journal Radio transient sources Galaxies Neutron stars Extragalactic radio sources Luminosity function |
| title | Constraining the Faint-end Slope of the Fast Radio Burst Energy Function Using CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 and Local Volume Galaxies |
| title_full | Constraining the Faint-end Slope of the Fast Radio Burst Energy Function Using CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 and Local Volume Galaxies |
| title_fullStr | Constraining the Faint-end Slope of the Fast Radio Burst Energy Function Using CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 and Local Volume Galaxies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Constraining the Faint-end Slope of the Fast Radio Burst Energy Function Using CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 and Local Volume Galaxies |
| title_short | Constraining the Faint-end Slope of the Fast Radio Burst Energy Function Using CHIME/FRB Catalog-1 and Local Volume Galaxies |
| title_sort | constraining the faint end slope of the fast radio burst energy function using chime frb catalog 1 and local volume galaxies |
| topic | Radio transient sources Galaxies Neutron stars Extragalactic radio sources Luminosity function |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aded17 |
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