The Astrophysical Journal (Jan 2023)
The Demographics, Stellar Populations, and Star Formation Histories of Fast Radio Burst Host Galaxies: Implications for the Progenitors
- Alexa C. Gordon,
- Wen-fai Fong,
- Charles D. Kilpatrick,
- Tarraneh Eftekhari,
- Joel Leja,
- J. Xavier Prochaska,
- Anya E. Nugent,
- Shivani Bhandari,
- Peter K. Blanchard,
- Manisha Caleb,
- Cherie K. Day,
- Adam T. Deller,
- Yuxin Dong,
- Marcin Glowacki,
- Kelly Gourdji,
- Alexandra G. Mannings,
- Elizabeth K. Mahoney,
- Lachlan Marnoch,
- Adam A. Miller,
- Kerry Paterson,
- Jillian C. Rastinejad,
- Stuart D. Ryder,
- Elaine M. Sadler,
- Danica R. Scott,
- Huei Sears,
- Ryan M. Shannon,
- Sunil Simha,
- Benjamin W. Stappers,
- Nicolas Tejos
Affiliations
- Alexa C. Gordon
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; [email protected]
- Wen-fai Fong
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; [email protected]
- Charles D. Kilpatrick
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; [email protected]
- Tarraneh Eftekhari
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; [email protected]
- Joel Leja
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802, USA; Institute for Computational & Data Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park , PA, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park , PA 16802, USA
- J. Xavier Prochaska
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA; Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) , 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, 277-8583, Japan; Division of Science , National Astronomical Observatory of Japan,2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
- Anya E. Nugent
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; [email protected]
- Shivani Bhandari
- ORCiD
- ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy , Oude Hoogeveensedijk 4, 7991 PD Dwingeloo, The Netherlands; Joint institute for VLBI ERIC , Oude Hoogeveensedijk 4, 7991 PD Dwingeloo, The Netherlands; Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam , Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; CSIRO, Space and Astronomy , P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia
- Peter K. Blanchard
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; [email protected]
- Manisha Caleb
- ORCiD
- Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics A28, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia
- Cherie K. Day
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, McGill University , Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada
- Adam T. Deller
- ORCiD
- Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
- Yuxin Dong
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; [email protected]
- Marcin Glowacki
- ORCiD
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University , Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
- Kelly Gourdji
- ORCiD
- Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
- Alexandra G. Mannings
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Elizabeth K. Mahoney
- ORCiD
- CSIRO, Space and Astronomy , P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia
- Lachlan Marnoch
- ORCiD
- CSIRO, Space and Astronomy , P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia; School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University , NSW 2109, Australia; Macquarie University Research Centre for Astronomy , Astrophysics & Astrophotonics, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
- Adam A. Miller
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; [email protected]
- Kerry Paterson
- ORCiD
- Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie , Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
- Jillian C. Rastinejad
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; [email protected]
- Stuart D. Ryder
- ORCiD
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University , NSW 2109, Australia; Macquarie University Research Centre for Astronomy , Astrophysics & Astrophotonics, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
- Elaine M. Sadler
- ORCiD
- CSIRO, Space and Astronomy , P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia; Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics A28, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- Danica R. Scott
- ORCiD
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University , Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
- Huei Sears
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA ; [email protected]
- Ryan M. Shannon
- ORCiD
- Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
- Sunil Simha
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Benjamin W. Stappers
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester , Oxford Road, M13 9PL, UK
- Nicolas Tejos
- ORCiD
- Instituto de Física , Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Casilla 4059, Valparaíso, Chile
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace5aa
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 954,
no. 1
p. 80
Abstract
We present a comprehensive catalog of observations and stellar population properties for 23 highly secure host galaxies of fast radio bursts (FRBs). Our sample comprises 6 repeating FRBs and 17 apparent nonrepeaters. We present 82 new photometric and 8 new spectroscopic observations of these hosts. Using stellar population synthesis modeling and employing nonparametric star formation histories (SFHs), we find that FRB hosts have a median stellar mass of ≈10 ^9.9 M _⊙ , mass-weighted age ≈5.1 Gyr, and ongoing star formation rate ≈1.3 M _⊙ yr ^−1 but span wide ranges in all properties. Classifying the hosts by degree of star formation, we find that 87% (20 of 23 hosts) are star-forming, two are transitioning, and one is quiescent. The majority trace the star-forming main sequence of galaxies, but at least three FRBs in our sample originate in less-active environments (two nonrepeaters and one repeater). Across all modeled properties, we find no statistically significant distinction between the hosts of repeaters and nonrepeaters. However, the hosts of repeating FRBs generally extend to lower stellar masses, and the hosts of nonrepeaters arise in more optically luminous galaxies. While four of the galaxies with the clearest and most prolonged rises in their SFHs all host repeating FRBs, demonstrating heightened star formation activity in the last ≲100 Myr, one nonrepeating host shows this SFH as well. Our results support progenitor models with short delay channels (i.e., magnetars formed via core-collapse supernova) for most FRBs, but the presence of some FRBs in less-active environments suggests a fraction form through more delayed channels.
Keywords