A first measurement of baryonic feedback with Fast Radio Bursts
Abstract
Baryonic feedback fundamentally alters the total matter distribution on small to intermediate cosmological scales, posing a significant challenge for contemporary cosmological analyses. Direct tracers of the baryon distribution are therefore key for unearthing cosmological information buried under astrophysical effects. Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) have emerged as a novel and direct probe of baryons, tracing the integrated ionised electron density along the line of sight, quantified by the dispersion measure (DM). The scatter of the DM as a function of redshift provides insight into the lumpiness of the electron distribution and, consequently, baryonic feedback processes. Using a model calibrated to the BAHAMAS hydrodynamic simulation suite, we forward-model the statistical properties of the DM as a function of redshift. Applying this model to approximately 100 localised FRBs, we robustly constrain the governing feedback parameter, at 68% confidence. Our findings represent the first measurement of baryonic feedback using FRBs, relating to power spectrum suppression and demonstrating a strong rejection of no-feedback scenarios at greater than 99.7% confidence ( 3 σ ), depending on the FRB sample. We find that FRBs prefer fairly strong feedback, consistent with other measurements of the baryon distribution, as inferred from the thermal and kinetic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effects. The results are robust against sightline correlations and modelling assumptions. We emphasise the importance of accurate calibration of the host galaxy and Milky Way contributions to the DM. Furthermore, we discuss implications for future FRB surveys and necessary improvements to current models to ensure accurate fitting of upcoming data, particularly that from low-redshift FRBs.
Related
- Calibrating baryonic feedback with weak lensing and fast radio bursts
- Backlighting the Universe with Fast Radio Bursts: An Anthology of Dispersion Measure Cross Correlations with Tracers of Large-scale Structure and Baryonic Matter
- The VariableTNG project: Mass-dependent regulation of galaxy morphology by baryonic feedback
- Interpretation of fast radio bursts from CHIME/FRB baseband data
- A two-component profile of baryonic feedback: hydrostatic and diffuse gas
BibTeX
@article{reischke2026first,
title = {{A first measurement of baryonic feedback with Fast Radio Bursts}},
author = {Robert Reischke and Steffen Hagstotz},
journal = {The Open Journal of Astrophysics},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.33232/001c.164244},
url = {https://doi.org/10.33232/001c.164244},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A first measurement of baryonic feedback with Fast Radio Bursts
AU - Robert Reischke
AU - Steffen Hagstotz
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/29
JO - The Open Journal of Astrophysics
DO - 10.33232/001c.164244
UR - https://doi.org/10.33232/001c.164244
AB - Baryonic feedback fundamentally alters the total matter distribution on small to intermediate cosmological scales, posing a significant challenge for contemporary cosmological analyses. Direct tracers of the baryon distribution are therefore key for unearthing cosmological information buried under astrophysical effects. Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) have emerged as a novel and direct probe of baryons, tracing the integrated ionised electron density along the line of sight, quantified by the dispersion measure (DM). The scatter of the DM as a function of redshift provides insight into the lumpiness of the electron distribution and, consequently, baryonic feedback processes. Using a model calibrated to the BAHAMAS hydrodynamic simulation suite, we forward-model the statistical properties of the DM as a function of redshift. Applying this model to approximately 100 localised FRBs, we robustly constrain the governing feedback parameter, at 68% confidence. Our findings represent the first measurement of baryonic feedback using FRBs, relating to power spectrum suppression and demonstrating a strong rejection of no-feedback scenarios at greater than 99.7% confidence ( 3 σ ), depending on the FRB sample. We find that FRBs prefer fairly strong feedback, consistent with other measurements of the baryon distribution, as inferred from the thermal and kinetic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effects. The results are robust against sightline correlations and modelling assumptions. We emphasise the importance of accurate calibration of the host galaxy and Milky Way contributions to the DM. Furthermore, we discuss implications for future FRB surveys and necessary improvements to current models to ensure accurate fitting of upcoming data, particularly that from low-redshift FRBs.
SN - 2565-6120
ER -