Fast Radio Burst Morphology in the First CHIME/FRB Catalog

We present a synthesis of fast radio burst (FRB) morphology (the change in flux as a function of time and frequency) as detected in the 400–800 MHz octave by the FRB project on the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME/FRB), using events from the first CHIME/FRB catalog. The catalog consists of 62 bursts from 18 repeating sources, plus 474 one-off FRBs, detected between 2018 July 25 and 2019 July 2. We identify four observed archetypes of burst morphology (“simple broadband,” “simple narrowband,” “temporally complex,” and “downward drifting”) and describe relevant instrumental biases that are essential for interpreting the observed morphologies. Using the catalog properties of the FRBs, we confirm that bursts from repeating sources, on average, have larger widths, and we show, for the first time, that bursts from repeating sources, on average, are narrower in bandwidth. This difference could be due to beaming or propagation effects, or it could be intrinsic to the populations. We discuss potential implications of these morphological differences for using FRBs as astrophysical tools.

A Decade and a Half of Fast Radio Burst Observations

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) have a story which has been told and retold many times over the past few years as they have sparked excitement and controversy since their pioneering discovery in 2007. The FRB class encompasses a number of microsecond- to millisecond-duration pulses occurring at Galactic to cosmological distances with energies spanning about 8 orders of magnitude. While most FRBs have been observed as singular events, a small fraction of them have been observed to repeat over various timescales leading to an apparent dichotomy in the population. ∼50 unique progenitor theories have been proposed, but no consensus has emerged for their origin(s). However, with the discovery of an FRB-like pulse from the Galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154, magnetar engine models are the current leading theory. Overall, FRB pulses exhibit unique characteristics allowing us to probe line-of-sight magnetic field strengths, inhomogeneities in the intergalactic/interstellar media, and plasma turbulence through an assortment of extragalactic and cosmological propagation effects. Consequently, they are formidable tools to study the Universe. This review follows the progress of the field between 2007 and 2020 and presents the science highlights of the radio observations.

Effect of the finite speed of light in ionization of extended molecular systems

We study propagation effects due to the finite speed of light in ionization of extended molecular systems. We present a general quantitative theory of these effects and show under which conditions such effects should appear. The finite speed of light propagation effects are encoded in the non-dipole terms of the time-dependent Shrödinger equation and display themselves in the photoelectron momentum distribution projected on the molecular axis. Our numerical modeling for the $$\hbox {H}_{2}^{+}$$ H 2 + molecular ion and the $$\hbox {Ne}_2$$ Ne 2 dimer shows that the finite light propagation time from one atomic center to another can be accurately determined in a table top laser experiment which is much more readily accessible than the ground breaking synchrotron measurement by Grundmann et al. (Science 370:339, 2020).

Industry Networks and the Geography of Firm Behavior

Using a network approach that circumvents well-known challenges in estimating peer effects, we show that interactions with a firm’s geographic neighbors play a significant causal role in corporate investment behavior and a modest role in financial policies and firm performance. Moreover, these geography network effects are almost entirely driven by propagation effects through product market and supply chain networks. We corroborate our findings in a quasi-experimental framework that allows for spillovers in treatment effects. Our findings help rationalize industrial clusters (e.g., Silicon Valley), as they illustrate that agglomeration economies are substantial and operate predominantly within industry boundaries. This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, finance.

Effect of the finite speed of light in ionization of extended molecular systems

We study propagation effects due to the finite speed of light in ionization of extended molecular systems. We present a general quantitative theory of these effects and show under which conditions such effects should appear. The finite speed of light propagation effects are encoded in the non-dipole terms of the time-dependent Shrödinger equation and display themselves in the photoelectron momentum distribution projected on the molecular axis. Our numerical modeling for the H + 2 molecular ion and the Ne 2 dimer shows that the finite light propagation time from one atomic center to another can be accurately determined in a table top laser experiment which is much more readily affordable than the ground breaking synchrotron measurement by Grundmann et al [Science 370, 339 (2020)].