Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Massive galaxy clusters can introduce gravitational lensing and populations of suppressed star formation member galaxies into the line of sight, potentially changing the distribution of observable sources toward them from that of the average sky. As a result, Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) aligned with galaxy clusters can provide a unique window into parameter spaces of the FRB population that other lines of sight do not afford. In this study, we demonstrate that the second CHIME/FRB baseband catalog contains FRBs emitted from within or behind clusters identified from the latest DECaLS data release; we isolate a sample of 26 FRBs where this is likely, including one repeating FRB and two FRBs that intersect the Coma cluster. Comparing our results against a range of simulated FRB populations, we conclude that the number of these associations represents a $3σ$ rate enhancement toward galaxy clusters, constituting $1.4\pm0.4\%$ of the FRBs detected in the second CHIME/FRB baseband catalog. We suggest that this enhancement is caused by an equal proportion of member galaxies hosting additional FRBs, and gravitational lensing magnifying background sources. We demonstrate that such contributions are sensitive to alternative progenitor channels and high redshift evolution in the FRB population, providing a future avenue for constraining these features. Considering the redshifts and masses of the associated clusters, we identify FRB 20211113A, which is aligned with the strong gravitational lens Abell 2218 as a potential lensed candidate for further consideration.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Sammons, Mawson W., Ahuja, Airene, Dobbs, Matt, Kader, Zarif, Davies-Velie, Evan, Bhardwaj, Mohit, Brar, Charanjot, Cook, Amanda M., Curtin, Alice P., Gaensler, Bryan M., Khadir, Affan, Kaspi, Victoria M., Khan, Afrokk, Lanman, Adam, Leung, Calvin, Mas-Ribas, Lluis, Masui, Kiyoshi W., McGregor, Kyle, Michilli, Daniele, Pandhi, Ayush, Pearlman, Aaron B., Pleunis, Ziggy, T., Sachin Pradeep E., Prasad, Aniket, Prochaska, J. Xavier, Scholz, Paul, Shin, Kaitlyn, Smith, Kendrick
Institutions: Trottier Space Institute at McGill, McGill University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Santa Cruz, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, York University, Perimeter Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Aix-Marseille Université, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, McGill University, Space Telescope Science Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Government of Canada, European Commission, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Canada Excellence Research Chairs, Government of Canada, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, University of Toronto, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, McGill Space Institute, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies, H2020 European Research Council
Awards: Collaborative Research: Mapping the universe in neutral hydrogen with CHIME, G1908529863, G1979407794, G2614460161, G4133458682, G433322167, G4497416632, G5180320897, G5433548614, G5433740808, G5539312340, G5622021303, G58316358, G6273510985, Indigenous Hawaiian Knowledge/Ike Hawaii Pop-up Science Center: Exploring the Effectiveness of Community-driven, Culturally Sustaining STEM Exhibit Development, G7542343701, G807922661
OpenAlex ID: W7202267765