Cosmic signals transformed into soundscape at Finnish Cathedral

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are among the most energetic phenomena in the universe, releasing energy equivalent to the sun’s output over three days in a single millisecond. Since their initial detection in 2007, thousands have been observed, though their origins remain a mystery. Recent observations suggest a link between at least one burst and the environment surrounding a rotating neutron star.

These bursts are incredibly brief, lasting only fractions of a second, making their detection challenging. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) in British Columbia has significantly advanced FRB research. Between 2018 and 2023, CHIME recorded 4,539 bursts from 3,641 sources, more than quadrupling the number of known FRBs.

Composer Andrew Melchior, in collaboration with MIT associate professor Kiyoshi Masui, has “sonified” these bursts, translating the radio wave data into audible acoustics. The resulting installation, “The Logos,” has been playing daily at Oulu Cathedral in Finland since early April and is scheduled to continue through the end of the year.

The installation uses 12 loudspeakers to project a range of tones, with distant FRBs manifesting as hums, rumbles, pops, and whistles. The signals themselves are ancient; the youngest are approximately 50 million years old, while the oldest date back 8 to 9 billion years.

The varying pitches and tones are influenced by the signals’ journey through intergalactic gas, creating a characteristic downward sweep that can be heard within the cathedral. “and you can hear that dispersion as it falls from the dome,” Melchior told Space.com by email.

Recent discoveries continue to emerge from FRB research. Last month, astronomers utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope identified the host galaxy of the most distant FRB observed to date, an event that occurred when the universe was only 3 billion years old. This galaxy, a small, young, star-forming dwarf, challenges existing theories about FRB origins.

NASA suggests a possible explanation involves magnetars, young, highly magnetic neutron stars that produce bursts shortly after a massive star’s explosion.

On November 21, Oulu Cathedral will host a special event featuring 30 singers performing a piece in Finnish while Melchior plays the bursts live. “The fast flashes will echo as snare-like beats bouncing through the cathedral,” Masui stated in a previous MIT statement. The performance aims to provide a unique and immersive experience, revealing the signals’ journey across billions of years of cosmic space.