Local Circumnuclear Magnetar Solution to Extragalactic Fast Radio Bursts

Abstract

We synthesize the known information about Fast Radio Bursts and radio magnetars, and describe an allowed origin near nuclei of external, but non-cosmological, galaxies. This places them at $z\ll1$, within a few hundred megaparsecs. In this scenario, the high DM is dominated by the environment of the FRB, modelled on the known properties of the Milky Way Center, whose innermost 100pc provides 1000 pc/cm$^3$. A radio loud magnetar is known to exist in our galactic center, within $\sim$2 arc seconds of Sgr A*. Based on the polarization, DM, and scattering properties of this known magnetar, we extrapolate its properties to those of Crab-like giant pulses and SGR flares and point out their consistency with observed Fast Radio Bursts. We conclude galactic center magnetars could be the source of FRB's. This scenario is readily testable with VLBI measurements as well as with flux count statistics from large surveys such as CHIME or UTMOST.