国际首次！“中国天眼”发现揭示快速射电暴双星起源关键证据

Core Insights - The "China Sky Eye" (FAST) has made a significant breakthrough by capturing the detailed evolution of the Faraday rotation of a repeating fast radio burst (FRB), providing crucial observational evidence for the hypothesis that fast radio bursts originate from binary star systems [1][4][7]. Group 1: Research Findings - The research team, led by the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, published their findings in the journal "Science" on January 16, 2023, and held a press conference to explain the results [3]. - The Faraday rotation of FRB 20220529 was monitored for over two years, revealing a sudden spike to 1977±84 radians/m², approximately 20 times the previous fluctuation range, followed by a rapid decline back to normal levels [6][8]. - This unprecedented observation of rapid and reversible magnetic environment changes marks a first in the history of fast radio burst research [6]. Group 2: Implications for Astrophysics - The core physical mechanism behind the observed Faraday rotation change is attributed to a dense magnetized plasma cloud from the fast radio burst's source, which passed through the line of sight between Earth and the burst [7]. - The findings suggest that if FRB 20220529 originated from a solitary neutron star, existing theories cannot explain such a drastic and rapid magnetic environment change. However, if it is part of a binary system, the intense activity from a companion star could naturally produce the observed Faraday rotation event [7]. - This discovery provides strong observational support for the binary star origin model of fast radio bursts, enhancing the understanding of their mechanisms [7].