Cosmology Using the Fast Radio Bursts with the BURSTT

Project Description

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are among the most intriguing mysteries in modern astronomy: millisecond-long flashes of radio waves as luminous as the Sun, yet lasting thousands of times shorter, originating from across the Universe. Although these transient events occur thousands of times per day, their physical origins remain largely unknown.

Our team is constructing a new radio telescope in Taiwan dedicated specifically to FRB science—the BURSTT telescope. BURSTT is designed to transform the field in two key ways. First, it will localize FRBs with high positional accuracy, overcoming one of the most significant limitations of previous surveys. Second, it will unambiguously distinguish repeating FRBs from apparently non-repeating, one-off events, populations that are likely driven by different physical mechanisms. The mixing of these populations has been a major source of uncertainty in past studies.

BURSTT has begun detecting FRBs this year. We are seeking motivated and curious students to analyze the forthcoming data and to make breakthrough discoveries with this new facility.