The physics of fast radio bursts

Abstract

Fast radio bursts, milliseconds-duration radio bursts predominantly originating from cosmological distances, figure among the unsolved puzzles of contemporary astrophysics. The rapid accumulation of observational data has generated an equally intense theoretical activity toward the understanding of the physical processes at the origin of these events. This review presents a thorough survey of the current knowledge about fast radio bursts, starting with the generic constraints that can be placed on theoretical models based on current observations and plasma physics considerations, then moving to a critical discussion of coherent radiation mechanisms and source models currently debated in the scientific community.