article · Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Observations of the active fast radio burst FRB 20240114A using the MeerKAT radio telescope detected 62 bursts across ultra-high frequency and L-band receivers via the MeerTRAP real-time pipeline. A structure-optimising dispersion measure of 527.65 parsecs per cubic centimetre was obtained from the brightest detected burst. The bursts showed band-limited characteristics, covering roughly 40 per cent of the ultra-high frequency band and 30 per cent of the L band. Analysis of 44 ultra-high frequency bursts set a fluence completeness limit of approximately 1 jansky millisecond following a power-law distribution. Data captured in the transient buffer enabled image-domain localisation to an uncertainty of 1.4 arcseconds, allowing identification of the host galaxy. Polarimetric measurements showed linear polarisation fractions near 100 per cent and circular polarisation fractions up to 20 per cent, alongside an estimated flux density for an associated persistent radio source.
Fast radio bursts are brief, intense flashes of cosmic radio waves whose origins remain mysterious. By capturing multiple bursts and pin-pointing the signal to a specific host galaxy within 1.4 arcseconds, this work provides observational data that helps researchers understand the extreme environments and physical processes capable of producing such high-energy astrophysical emissions.
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ABSTRACT We report observations of the highly active FRB 20240114A with MeerKAT using the ultra-high frequency (UHF; $544\!-\!1088$ MHz) and L band ($856\!-\!1712$ MHz) receivers. A total of 62 bursts were detected in coherent tied-array beams using the MeerTRAP real-time transient detection pipeline. We measure a structure-optimizing dispersion measure of $527.65\pm 0.01\, \text{pc}\, \text{cm}^{-3}$ using the brightest burst in the sample. We find the bursts of FRB 20240114A are generally detected in part of the broad-band of MeerKAT, $\sim 40~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ in the UHF and $\sim 30~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ in the L band, indicating the band limited nature. We analyse the fluence distribution of the 44 bursts detected at UHF, constraining the fluence completeness limit to $\sim 1$ Jy ms, above which the cumulative burst rate follows a power law $R (\gt F)\propto (F/1\, \text{Jy}\, \text{ms})^\gamma$ with $\gamma =-1.8\pm 0.2$. Using channelized telescope data captured in our transient buffer we localize FRB 20240114A in the image domain to RA = 21h27m39.86s, Dec. = +04d19m45.01s with an uncertainty of 1.4 arcsec. This localization allows us to confidently identify the host galaxy of FRB 20240114A. Also using the transient buffer data, we perform a polarimetric study and demonstrate that most of the bursts have $\sim 100~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ linear polarization fractions and up to $\sim 20~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ circular polarization fractions. Finally, we predict the flux density of a potential persistent radio source (PRS) associated with FRB 20240114A is $\backsimeq [0.6\!-\!60]\, \mu \text{Jy}$ based on the simple relation between the luminosity of the PRS and the rotation measure arising from the FRB local environment.
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DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stae2013
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