Breakthrough Listen: Machine Learning Enables New Detections of FRB 121102

Overview

Machine learning algorithms applied to Listen data from the Green Bank Telescope found new pulses from the mysterious repeating source FRB 121102. These new bursts were missed by conventional search methods, and are helping to answer questions about the origin of FRB 121102. Machine learning algorithms are also being applied to help Listen search for new kinds of candidate signals from extraterrestrial intelligence.

A paper describing these results has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal and will appear on the arXiv preprint server on September 10, 2018.

Read the press release from Breakthrough Initiatives.

Download the background art seen here (Credit: Breakthrough Listen / Danielle Futselaar).

More observation details at our page describing the initial detections with this dataset.

Background Art by Danielle Futselaar