H i, FRB, What’s Your z: The First FRB Host Galaxy Redshift from Radio Observations

M. Glowacki; A. Bera; K. Lee-Waddell; A. T. Deller; T. Dial; K. Gourdji; S. Simha; M. Caleb; L. Marnoch; J. Xavier Prochaska; S. D. Ryder; R. M. Shannon; N. Tejos

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ad1f62

The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2024)

H i, FRB, What’s Your z: The First FRB Host Galaxy Redshift from Radio Observations

M. Glowacki,
A. Bera,
K. Lee-Waddell,
A. T. Deller,
T. Dial,
K. Gourdji,
S. Simha,
M. Caleb,
L. Marnoch,
J. Xavier Prochaska,
S. D. Ryder,
R. M. Shannon,
N. Tejos

Affiliations

M. Glowacki: ORCiD; International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University, Bentley , WA 6102, Australia ; [email protected]
A. Bera: International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University, Bentley , WA 6102, Australia ; [email protected]
K. Lee-Waddell: ORCiD; International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University, Bentley , WA 6102, Australia ; [email protected]; International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), The University of Western Australia , 35 Stirling Hwy., Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; CSIRO Space and Astronomy , P.O. Box 1130, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
A. T. Deller: ORCiD; Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , Hawthorn, VIC, 3122, Australia
T. Dial: ORCiD; Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , Hawthorn, VIC, 3122, Australia
K. Gourdji: ORCiD; Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , Hawthorn, VIC, 3122, Australia
S. Simha: ORCiD; University of California —Santa Cruz 1156 High St. Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
M. Caleb: Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIfA), School of Physics, The University of Sydney , Camperdown NSW 2006, Australia
L. Marnoch: ORCiD; School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University , NSW 2109, Australia; Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO Space and Astronomy , P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia; Astrophysics and Space Technologies Research Centre, Macquarie University , Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia
J. Xavier Prochaska: ORCiD; University of California —Santa Cruz 1156 High St. Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA; Kavli IPMU (WPI), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo , Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583, Japan; Division of Science, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan , 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
S. D. Ryder: ORCiD; School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University , NSW 2109, Australia; Astrophysics and Space Technologies Research Centre, Macquarie University , Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
R. M. Shannon: ORCiD; Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , Hawthorn, VIC, 3122, Australia
N. Tejos: ORCiD; Instituto de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso , Casilla 4059, Valparaíso, Chile

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad1f62
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 962, no. 1
p. L13

Abstract

Read online

Identification and follow-up observations of the host galaxies of fast radio bursts (FRBs) not only help us understand the environments in which the FRB progenitors reside, but also provide a unique way of probing the cosmological parameters using the dispersion measures (DMs) of FRBs and distances to their origin. A fundamental requirement is an accurate distance measurement to the FRB host galaxy, but for some sources viewed through the Galactic plane, optical/near-infrared spectroscopic redshifts are extremely difficult to obtain due to dust extinction. Here we report the first radio-based spectroscopic redshift measurement for an FRB host galaxy, through detection of its neutral hydrogen (H i ) 21 cm emission using MeerKAT observations. We obtain an H i –based redshift of z = 0.0357 ± 0.0001 for the host galaxy of FRB 20230718A, an apparently nonrepeating FRB detected in the Commensal Real-time ASKAP Fast Transients survey and localized at a Galactic latitude of –0.°367. Our observations also reveal that the FRB host galaxy is interacting with a nearby companion, which is evident from the detection of an H i bridge connecting the two galaxies. A subsequent optical spectroscopic observation confirmed an FRB host galaxy redshift of 0.0359 ± 0.0004. This result demonstrates the value of H i to obtain redshifts of FRBs at low Galactic latitudes and redshifts. Such nearby FRBs whose DMs are dominated by the Milky Way can be used to characterize these components and thus better calibrate the remaining cosmological contribution to dispersion for more distant FRBs that provide a strong lever arm to examine the Macquart relation between cosmological DM and redshift.

Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

ISSN: 2041-8205 (Print); 2041-8213 (Online)
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Astronomy: Astrophysics
Website: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords