Dispersion Measure Distribution of Unlocalized Fast Radio Bursts as a Probe of the Hubble Constant
- 1Chinese Academy of Sciences
- 2Hunan Normal University
Abstract
We present constraints on the Hubble constant ( H ₀ ) derived from the observed dispersion measure (DM) distribution of unlocalized fast radio bursts (FRBs). While localized FRBs with redshift measurements have been used to investigate the Hubble tension, their sample remains limited. Here we demonstrate that unlocalized FRBs—which are far more numerous—can independently constrain H ₀ without requiring redshift information, as cosmic expansion imprints itself on their DM distribution. Analyzing a selected sample of 2124 unlocalized FRBs from the CHIME Catalog II, we obtain H 0 = 6 9 − 15 + 17 km s − 1 Mpc − 1 at the 1 σ confidence level, corresponding to an uncertainty of about 22%. Disentangling the parametric degeneracy among H ₀ , the FRB spectral index α , and the characteristic cutoff energy E * of the FRB energy distribution would reduce the fractional uncertainty in H ₀ to 9%. This work constitutes the first H ₀ measurement derived solely from the DM distribution of unlocalized FRBs, highlighting their potential as a new cosmological probe. Future joint analyses with localized FRBs promise even tighter constraints.
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BibTeX
@article{liu2026dispersion,
title = {{Dispersion Measure Distribution of Unlocalized Fast Radio Bursts as a Probe of the Hubble Constant}},
author = {Yang Liu and Jun-Jie Wei and Puxun Wu and Xue-Feng Wu},
journal = {The Astrophysical Journal},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/aeac12},
url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeac12},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dispersion Measure Distribution of Unlocalized Fast Radio Bursts as a Probe of the Hubble Constant
AU - Yang Liu
AU - Jun-Jie Wei
AU - Puxun Wu
AU - Xue-Feng Wu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - The Astrophysical Journal
DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/aeac12
UR - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeac12
AB - We present constraints on the Hubble constant ( H ₀ ) derived from the observed dispersion measure (DM) distribution of unlocalized fast radio bursts (FRBs). While localized FRBs with redshift measurements have been used to investigate the Hubble tension, their sample remains limited. Here we demonstrate that unlocalized FRBs—which are far more numerous—can independently constrain H ₀ without requiring redshift information, as cosmic expansion imprints itself on their DM distribution. Analyzing a selected sample of 2124 unlocalized FRBs from the CHIME Catalog II, we obtain H 0 = 6 9 − 15 + 17 km s − 1 Mpc − 1 at the 1 σ confidence level, corresponding to an uncertainty of about 22%. Disentangling the parametric degeneracy among H ₀ , the FRB spectral index α , and the characteristic cutoff energy E * of the FRB energy distribution would reduce the fractional uncertainty in H ₀ to 9%. This work constitutes the first H ₀ measurement derived solely from the DM distribution of unlocalized FRBs, highlighting their potential as a new cosmological probe. Future joint analyses with localized FRBs promise even tighter constraints.
SN - 1538-4357
SN - 0004-637X
ER -