The observed impact of galaxy halo gas on fast radio bursts

Galaxies and groups of galaxies exist in dark-matter haloes filled with diffuse gas. The diffuse gas represents up to 80% of the mass in baryonic matter within the haloes1,2, but is difficult to detect because of its low density (particle number densities of ≲10−4 cm−3) and high temperature (mostly >106 K). Here we analyse the impact of diffuse gas associated with nearby galaxies using the dispersion measures (DMs) of extragalactic fast radio bursts (FRBs). FRB DMs provide direct measurements of the total ionized-gas contents along their sightlines. Out of a sample of 474 distant FRBs from the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) FRB Catalog 1 (ref. 3), we identify a subset of events that probably intersect the dark-matter haloes of galaxies in the local Universe (<40 Mpc). The mean DM of the galaxy-intersecting FRBs is larger than that of the non-intersecting FRBs with a probability >0.99 and the excess DM is >90 pc cm−3 with >95% confidence. The excess is larger than expected for the diffuse gas surrounding isolated galaxies, but may be explained by additional contributions from gas surrounding galaxy groups, including from the Local Group. This result demonstrates the predicted ability of FRBs to be used as sensitive, model-independent measures of the diffuse gas contents of dark-matter haloes4–7. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) can be used as sensitive probes of diffuse gas in galaxy dark-matter haloes. Here the authors analyse several fast radio bursts that intersect galaxy dark-matter haloes within 40 Mpc, finding that the additional dispersion provided by the diffuse gas (presumably the intragroup medium) is in excess of 90 pc cm−3.