Scientists bursting with excitement over world-first discovery

The Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, has congratulated a team of international scientists, including researchers from the CSIRO, for being the first in the world to pinpoint the location of a phenomenon known as a fast radio burst (FRB).

“This find represents a tremendous achievement by CSIRO and its team. FRBs are hard to detect – only 16 have been identified before. The work by the team at CSIRO’s Parkes and Australian Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) telescopes meant the location of the FRB could actually be pinpointed,” Mr Pyne said.

FRB’s are mysterious bright radio flashes generally lasting only a few milliseconds.

While their origin is still unknown, this discovery has pinpointed the location some six billion light years away. It’s the first time a host galaxy has been identified.

The CSIRO’s Parkes radio telescope first detected the FRB in April last year, creating an international alert, meaning telescopes around the world were looking for the signal, including the CSIRO’s Australian Telescope Compact Array.

“Innovative thinking by the international team including CSIRO scientists, who developed their own observing system to detect FRBs, allowed them to detect the phenomenon in seconds, instead of having to sift through data months or years later,” Mr Pyne said.

“Through the recently released National Innovation and Science Agenda, the Government has committed to invest $2.3 billion over the next 10 years towards cutting edge national science and research infrastructure.

“This funding includes $294 million for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) which will be essential in discovering information about the Universe’s make-up; it also gives Australia the unique opportunity to co-host a globally significant mega-science project.”