West Virginia astronomers share the origin of their discovery and hopes for future research
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are extremely energetic radio pulses lasting only a thousandths of a second. These mysterious, bright objects were first detected by a team including West Virginia University astronomers Maura McLaughlin and Duncan Lorimer in 2007.
McLaughlin and Lorimer will share a public lecture about their evolving science at the Green Bank Observatory (GBO) Science Center.
Wednesday, March 20th, at 3:30 PM
The first Fast Radio Burst was extremely controversial, as it was a trillion times more luminous than any previously known radio flash observed from the sky, and for many years it was the only one observed. Astronomers are still learning more about this new class of astrophysical sources. McLaughlin and Lorimer’s scientific research, along with their colleague Matthew Bailes at Swinburne University was recognized by the international Shaw Prize in 2023.
The presentation will be followed by a brief reception in the Science Center Atrium. This event is free and open to the public.