Publisher's Synopsis
Starting in 2007, radio astronomers have identified millisecond-duration radio pulses originating from beyond our Galaxy. These "fast radio bursts" (FRBs) are prolific: there are between 10,000 and 100,000 such flashes all over the sky every day that are detectable in principle, depending on the sensitivity of the telescope. Given their distant origin, they are prodigiously energetic. And yet their origins are still enigmatic, with dozens of potentially viable models. The propagation of these bursts is also one of the only viable tracers of the extraordinarily low-density material that fills the voids between galaxies and comprises the majority of the matter in the Universe. The proposed book will serve as an introduction to the field of FRBs, a reference work for the detection, observation, and phenomenology of the bursts, and a guide to the science of the bursts and how they probe the intergalactic medium.
Key Features:
- A compendium on FRBs for an introduction to the field and as a reference book for researchers, including relevant astrophysical background material.
- Reference material on methods in radio astronomy, signal processing, and machine learning relevant to transient radio sources.
- Discussion of FRBs in a multi-wavelength / multi-messenger context.
- Includes a code and data library for analysis of FRBs and modeling of propagation effects and source populations.
- Written by authors deeply involved in current research on FRBs.
