Redshift Distributions of Fast Radio Bursts Inferred Using Clustering in Dispersion Measure Space

Abstract

Fast radio bursts (FRBs), millisecond-duration radio transient events, possess the potential to serve as excellent cosmological probes. The FRB redshift distribution contains information about the FRB sources, providing key constraints on the types of engines. However, it is quite challenging to obtain the FRB redshifts due to the poor localization and the faintness of the host galaxies. This reality severely restricts the application prospects and study of the physical origins of FRBs. We propose that the clustering of observed FRBs can be an effective approach to address this issue without needing to accurately model dispersion measure (DM) contributions from the host galaxy and the immediate environment of the source. Using the clustering of 5 × 107 simulated FRBs from future observations with sensitivity similar to the second phase of the Square Kilometre Array, we show that in extragalactic DM space, the redshift distributions can be accurately reconstructed, and the mean redshift for FRBs between 384.8 and 1450.3 pc cm−3 can be constrained to ∼0.001 ± 0.003(1 + z). The results demonstrate the potential of FRB clustering to constrain redshift distributions and provide valuable insights into FRB source models and cosmological applications.