Abstract for Proposal 095040
The gamma-ray binary LS I +61 303 as source of Fast Radio Bursts
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) belong to the recently discovered class of GHz-band,
ms-duration, Jy-level radio transients.
Most FRBs have been identified as stand-alone events showing dispersion measures consistent with extragalactic origin.
A repeating behavior has been observed on a few FRB sources, some with periodicity.
The first multi-wavelength counterparts simultaneous to FRBs have been detected (and recently confirmed) from a galactic magnetar,
while FRB host-galaxy associations seem to be consistent with this progenitor.
Short bright bursts have been previously reported both in the optical and HE regime from magnetars,
and MAGIC is an ideal instrument to detect both such signals.
We propose to only observe FRB repeaters during very active periods (1 burst per h),
triggering the ToO criteria of our radio partners, ensuring the widest possible MWL coverage.
We request a total of 40h ToO time over very diverse moon illumination conditions, as well as 5h of XMM ToO time.
Details on Observing Strategy and Trigger Criteria
Trigger criteria:
- FRB repeater with recent detection of FRBs with a rate larger than 1 burst/h (as seen in radio)
- FRB repeater at a distance lower than z ~ 0.3. When observing a non-localized repeater, average dispersion measures will be used to estimate their redshift.
- Strictly simultaneous visibility both from La Palma (MAGIC and likely LST-1 telescopes will be participating) and XMM for a minimum time of 5 ks.
Required reaction time:
- Observations will be triggered several days in advance.
Observing strategy:
- 6ks exposures centered at the target, with the main objective of searching for ms-scale X-ray and/or optical bursts.