08 September 2023 , 11:25
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Strange radio signals detected from space from a distance of three billion light years away could be aliens, scientists have claimed.
The mystery emissions known as Fast Radio Bursts last just a millisecond, but each pulsing frequency has as much energy as the sun emits over a hundred years. Scientists have suggested the signals could be generated by extra terrestrials. They have speculated they are messages or a way to power space craft.
Other theories have suggested they come from an exploding black hole or star. The fast radio burst, dubbed FRB 20190520B, is just the second to have been detected for the second time and had 113 bursts prompting it to be studied by an international team.
Signals have been detected by scientists from space (Getty Images)Magnetic fields were also detected by scientists in China US and Australia which surround the FRBs and are thought to be a “turbulent, magnetised screen of plasma”. They have suggested the likely scenario for the cause ncludes a signal passing through the halo of a companion, whether it is blackhole or a huge star with winds.
Understanding drastic changes in the magnetised environment around the FRB is an important step toward understanding the origin of such cosmic explosions. The study was published in the journal Science and saw scientists monitor signals over a 17-month period using high-powered radio telescope.
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They found high variability in the FRB and detected a change in the radio waves' polarisation which happens when it passes through magnetic fields. The changes in variability suggested a 'highly turbulent magnetic environment' at the FRB source.
A 3D illustration of a 'spaceship' (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Writing for Space.com, scientist Anna-Thomas said: "Using the observed properties, we modeled these variations as due to a wind from a massive companion star, and this conclusion was strengthened by a system in the Milky Way that shows striking similarity to our FRB."
The Mirror told in April how how the radio burst have been picked up coming from space. Astronomers do not know what causes the FRBs but 25 were counted during the research carried out by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), working with the University of Toronto.
Ziggy Pleunis, at the University of Toronto, said at the time believe that the repetitions are not just by chance. He said: "We can now accurately calculate the probability that two or more bursts coming from similar locations are not just a coincidence."
Some of the fast radio bursts were never repeated and also the difference in characteristics, for instance in frequencies, has also led astronomers to question if they have varied origins. Adaeze Ibik, a University of Toronto Ph.D. student then said: "It is exciting that CHIME/FRB saw multiple flashes from the same locations, as this allows for the detailed investigation of their nature.