The Cosmic Capacitor: Unraveling Fast Radio Bursts ⚡ экспресс
Fast radio bursts are mysterious cosmic signals. A new explanation: they arise as giant lightning bolts in the gas disk around black holes, where electric charge builds up, just like in a capacitor. What else could this cosmic 'battery' reveal?
Fast radio bursts are flashes of radio waves lasting mere milliseconds, yet they pack as much energy as the Sun produces in a day. Their nature long remained a mystery. Now astrophysicists have a simple idea: these signals are nothing more than giant electrical sparks in the disks around black holes.
A searing-hot gas disk whirls around the black hole. Intense radiation acts like a gusty wind, blowing lightweight electrons outward while the heavier nuclei stay put. The disk becomes something like a thundercloud—except the electrical voltage builds up not for lightning, but for a radio burst.
When the voltage breaks down, the accumulated charge is released in an instant—and we detect a fast radio burst.
Scientists tested the model on a known burst and found an exact match with its spectral portrait—the way energy is distributed across frequencies. This allowed them to calculate densities and charges. A similar mechanism likely operates for neutron stars—the ultra-dense remnants of exploded stars.
🎯 The energy released in one millisecond of a fast radio burst can exceed the energy the Sun radiates over several days.