Temporal Evolution of Depolarization and Magnetic Field of Fast Radio Burst 20201124A

Abstract

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are energetic millisecond phenomena in the radio band. Polarimetric studies of repeating FRBs indicate that many of these sources occupy extreme and complex magnetoionized environments. Recently, a frequency-dependent depolarization has been discovered in several repeating FRBs. However, the temporal evolution of polarization properties is limited by the burst rate and observational cadence of telescopes. In this Letter, the temporal evolution of depolarization in repeating FRB 20201124A is explored. Using the simultaneous variation of rotation measure and dispersion measure, we also measure the strength of a magnetic field parallel to the line of sight. The strength ranges from a few μ G to 10 ^3 μ G. In addition, we find that the evolution of depolarization and magnetic field traces the evolution of rotation measure. Our result supports that the variation of depolarization, rotation measure, and the magnetic field are determined by the same complex magnetoionized screen surrounding the FRB source. The derived properties of the screen are consistent with the wind and the decretion disk of a massive star.

Keywords

• Radio transient sources
• Magnetic fields
• Interstellar medium
• Massive stars