Duncan Lorimer FRS, West Virginia University
The Brightest Pulses in the Universe
Bennett Symposium plenary speaker
Duncan Lorimer FRS
Eberly Distinguished Chair for Academic Excellence
Department of Physics and Astronomy
West Virginia University
Almost two decades ago a group at WVU including a freshman discovered the first
example of a new cosmic phenomenon now known as fast radio bursts (FRBs). While
the precise origins of FRBs are still unknown, as I describe in this talk, they
are likely to be linked to powerful events on or in the vicinity of neutron stars.
FRBs are now being used as insightful probes of the large-scale structure of the
Universe. In this talk, I recount the story of the discovery and highlight the
role of serendipity in science while looking ahead to the future of this field.