A persistently active fast radio burst source embedded in an expanding supernova remnant
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) remain one of the most puzzling astrophysical phenomena. While most FRBs are detected only once or sporadically, we present the identification of FRB 20190520B as the first persistently active source over a continuous span of ∼4 years. This rare long-term activity enabled a detailed investigation of its dispersion measure (DM) evolution. We also report that FRB 20190520B exhibits a substantial decrease in DM at a global rate of (-12.4±0.3) pc cm<sup>-3</sup>yr<sup>-1</sup>, exceeding previous FRB's DM variation measurements by a factor of three and surpassing those observed in pulsars by orders of magnitude. The magnitude and consistency of the DM evolution, along with a high host DM contribution, strongly indicate that the source resides in a dense, expanding ionized medium, likely a young supernova remnant (SNR).
Authors
- Chenhui Niu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6651-7799)
- Yu‐Hao Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0513-2910)
- Aming Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1838-8456)
- Ji-an Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9092-0593)
- Jiarui Niu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8065-4191)
- Jiaheng Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2377-9796)
- Yi Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0475-7479)
- Weiyang Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9036-8543)
- Chao‐Wei Tsai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9390-9672)
- Yijun Hou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9534-1638)
- Junshuo Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8586-3001)
- Wenfei Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3844-9677)
- Yongkun Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8744-3546)
- Weiwei Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1852-8877)
- Shi Dai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9618-2499)
- Di Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3010-7661)
- Pei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3386-7159)
- Ze-Xin Du
- Jumei Yao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4997-045X)
- Xinming Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3117-9421)
- Bing Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4857-2038)
- Xiaoping Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3271-3702)
- Chenchen Miao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9441-2190)
- Yuan-Pei Yang
Institutions
- Yunnan University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (CN)
- Central China Normal University (CN)
- Zhejiang Lab (CN)
- National Astronomical Observatories (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Bulletin
- Published
- 2025-11-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2025.11.023
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.15