2026-09-24T06:33:24Zhttps://cora.ucc.ie/server/oai/request

oai:cora.ucc.ie:10468/188312026-05-23T02:02:49Zcom_10468_388com_10468_5com_10468_224com_10468_1col_10468_389col_10468_430col_10468_8983

Pe'Er, Asaf Callanan, Paul Tremmel, Michael Long, Killian Irish Research Council European Research Council Irish Centre for High-End Computing 2026-05-22T11:36:30Z 2026-05-22T11:36:30Z 2026-03-31 2026-03-31 The origin of fast radio bursts (FRBs) is a major open question in the field of astrophysics. We propose that FRBs are produced by synchrotron maser emission (SME) that occurs as a result of non-resonant interactions between Alfv´en waves and relativistic plasma. We examine the results of such an interaction, demonstrating that the particles gain significant amounts of kinetic energy through pitch-angle scattering. We show that the interaction forms the necessary population inversions for SME across a wide range of magnetisations and temperatures and examine how the properties of the plasma change as a result of the interaction. We calculate the resulting growth rates and peak frequencies of SME in such a scenario, and show that the mechanism can produce FRBs in the relativistic wind of a magnetar. We determine the lower limits on the wind Lorentz factors (γw ≳ 310) necessary to explain observed FRBs. Emission is possible at temperatures of θ = kBT/mc2 ≲ 0.02. We further examine the periods and magnetic fields of the central magnetar and demonstrate that the optimal values of these properties align with the observed magnetar population, provided that the magnetosphere is disturbed by the flaring activity. These results allow the properties of the environment such as temperature and magnetisation to be probed from the observed FRB frequency and luminosity. Not peer reviewed Accepted Version application/pdf Long, K. 2026. The nature of fast radio bursts. PhD Thesis, University College Cork. 165 https://hdl.handle.net/10468/18831 en University College Cork Irish Research Council (Grant no. GOIPG/2017/1146) info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020::ERC::ERC-COG/773062/EU/Origin and Magnetization of astronomical Jets/O.M.J. © 2026, Killian Long. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Astrophysics Fast radio bursts Plasma physics The nature of fast radio bursts Doctoral thesis Doctoral PhD - Doctor of Philosophyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess