The Rarity of Repeating Fast Radio Bursts from Binary Neutron Star Mergers

Abstract

Abstract Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are extragalactic, bright pulses of emission at radio frequencies with millisecond durations. Observationally, FRBs can be divided into two classes, repeating FRBs and non-repeating FRBs. At present, 20 repeating FRBs have been discovered with unknown physical origins. Localization of the first repeating FRB 121102 and discovery of an associated persistent radio source support that FRBs are powered by young millisecond magnetars, which could be formed by the core-collapses of massive stars or binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. These two formation channels can be distinguished by the gravitational waves generated by BNSs mergers. We first calculate the lower limit of the local formation rate of repeating FRBs observed by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME). Then we show that only a small fraction (6%) of repeating FRBs are produced by young magnetars from BNS mergers, based on the gravitational-wave detections by the third observing run (O3) of the Advanced LIGO/Virgo gravitational-wave detectors. Therefore, we believe that repeating FRBs are more likely produced by newborn magnetars newborn from the core-collapses of massive stars rather than magnetars from BNS mergers.