Dense plasma dispersion of fast radio bursts

Abstract

Stellar coronae have been invoked to explain the apparently extragalactic dispersion measures observed in fast radio bursts. This paper demonstrates that the suggested plasma densities would lead to deviations from the standard dispersion curve that are inconsistent with the data. The problem is then turned around and higher-order dispersion terms are connected to the moments of the density distribution along the line of sight. The deviations quantified in three observed bursts are analysed and a lower limit on the maximum electron density is obtained in one case, although with considerable uncertainty. Selection effects are then discussed and shown to be non-restrictive in relation to plasma density, except at the lowest frequencies and highest temperatures.

v2: Replaced with (somewhat softer) version published in MNRAS Letters: typos corrected, references updated, a note added in proof

References in corpus (4)

• A bright millisecond radio burst of extragalactic origin
• Radio precursors to neutron star binary mergings
• Hyperflares of SGRs as an engine for millisecond extragalactic radio bursts
• On the possible observational manifestation of supernova shock impact on the neutron star magnetosphere

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• Synchrotron masers and fast radio bursts
• Dispersion by pulsars, magnetars, fast radio bursts and massive electromagnetism at very low radio frequencies
• Fast Radio Bursts: Constraints on the Dispersing Medium
• Revisiting the dispersion measure of fast radio bursts associated with gamma-ray burst afterglows
• Unveiling the Origin of Fast Radio Bursts by Optical Follow Up Observations