The disk precession in a Be star-magnetar binary and its application to the rotation measure of FRB 20201124A

Abstract

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright, millisecond-duration radio bursts with poorly known origins. Most FRB sources are detected only once, while some are repeaters. Variation patterns observed in the rotation measure (RM) of some repeaters -- indicate that the local magneto-ionic environments of these FRB sources are highly dynamic. It has been suggested that a Be star-magnetar binary system is a possible origin for such variation. FRB 20201124A is notable among these sources since it is the most active one and exhibits substantial temporal variations of RM measured by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The physics behind this long-term behavior is poorly understood. Here we propose that, within the framework of the Be star-magnetar binary scenario, the observed variation of RM is attributed to a combination of orbital motion and the precession of the circumstellar disk of the Be star. While a ~785-day precession of the disk contributes to the observed decrease in the amplitude of the variation, our model predicts that the amplitude oscillates with this period.