Blinkverse 2.0: Updated Host Galaxies for Fast Radio Bursts

Abstract

Studying the host galaxies of fast radio bursts (FRBs) is critical to understanding the formation processes of their sources and, hence, the mechanisms by which they radiate. Toward this end, we have extended the Blinkverse database version 1.0, which already included burst information about FRBs observed by various telescopes, by adding information about 92 published FRB host galaxies to make version 2.0. Each FRB host has 18 parameters describing it, including redshift, stellar mass, star-formation rate, emission line fluxes, etc. In particular, each FRB host includes images collated by FASTView, streamlining the process of looking for clues to understanding the origin of FRBs. FASTView is a tool and API for quickly exploring astronomical sources using archival imaging, photometric, and spectral data. This effort represents the first step in building Blinkverse into a comprehensive tool for facilitating source observation and analysis.

1. Introduction

Fast radio bursts and their progenitors represent one of the most significant enigmas in contemporary astrophysics [1,2]. These transients are short (~1 ms) yet intense (>1 Jy ms) radio pulses that resemble the signals detected from pulsars [3], but the fact that all known FRBs are extragalactic sources suggests that much higher energy processes generate them. Despite being discovered over two decades ago [4], the mechanisms driving FRBs remain unknown, although several potential origins have been suggested [5].

Since the first precise localization of a repeating fast radio burst [6,7,8], an increasing number of FRBs are being localized well enough to be associated with their host galaxies. The localization of FRB host galaxies was first achieved for five sources using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) [9]. Subsequent studies progressively expanded the sample to ≈35, including repeating FRBs and high-redshift ($z\ge 1.3$) host galaxies [10,11,12]. Most recently, significant progress has been made with ASKAP’s optically complete sample of 43 FRBs [13], while the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME/FRB) has released a catalog containing 21 host galaxies [14]. Characterizing the host galaxies of FRBs has been essential in constraining their potential sources.

To facilitate the study of the origins of FRBs, we have established an FRB database called Blinkverse1, which includes 862 individual FRB sources, of which over 69 are bursts from repeating FRBs and 793 are from one-off FRBs ([15] hereafter Blinkverse 1.0, which is the first release of this database on 1 March 2023). Since Blinkverse 1.0 was published until the writing of this paper, the previous article has received nearly 40 citations. The website has over 8000 visits spread across more than 40 countries. The number of FRB sources on the website has increased by more than 100. The number of bursts has increased from 3500 to over 9500. Blinkverse 1.0 provides over 35 burst parameters from which users can choose.

However, with the increasing maturity of observational data and equipment, FRBs’ localization is rapidly progressing; several FRBs have already been localized enough to associate them with their host galaxies. We here add information about 90 hosts from previous literature to the Blinkverse, with supplemental images for each host galaxy, to produce Blinkverse 2.0.

The overview of the paper is as follows: Section 2.1 describes the updates to the contents of Blinkverse 1.0, Section 2.2 describes the information about FRB hosts in Blinkverse 2.0, and  Section 2.3 introduces a program called FASTView we used to visualize the FRB environments.

2. Data Description

2.1. Data Supplements on Blinkverse 1.0

Blinkverse 1.0 provides detailed information on detected FRB signals. Here is a summary of the updates in Blinkverse 2.0:

(1)

The official URL to access Blinkverse is now https://blinkverse.zero2x.org (accessed on 10 June 2025), but the original is still accessible. All the content mentioned below can be found on the website.

(2)

The information in Blinkverse comes only from the peer-reviewed literature, that is, the Astronomer’s Telegram (ATel)2 and most preprints/non-peer-reviewed papers published in services like arXiv3 are excluded. A few preprints are retained only because the corresponding papers have not yet been accepted. We maintain an internal tracking table of relevant preprints and review it on a monthly basis to check for newly published peer-reviewed versions. For each newly published paper, we carefully examine the introduction to identify any additional data sources or host galaxy information that may have been previously missed.

(3)

We modified the columns named MJD_inf and MJD_topo@GHz, where MJD_inf is the time of arrival (TOA) after correcting for the dispersion in the signal and assuming it was emitted at infinite frequency, and MJD_topo is the TOA with reference to a fixed frequency. To ensure the reliability of the data, we minimize the calculation of derived columns as much as possible and instead directly extract TOA from the literature.

(4)

Regarding the right ascension (RA) and declination (DEC) of repeating FRBs, we initially record the position based on the first reported burst. However, if subsequent publications provide a more precise localization (e.g., using interferometric follow-up), the positional information in Blinkverse is updated accordingly. The uncertainty of RA and DEC is provided in degrees.

(5)

We develop an “AI Assistant” using a large language model to quickly generate relevant FRB information, which helps researchers to more quickly understand information about the FRBs. At present, only five FRBs have detailed descriptive information.

(6)

We provide a FAST dataset for Fast Radio bursts EXploration (FAST-FREX) in the “Publication” part, which is obtained from observation data collected by the FAST [16].

2.2. Data of FRB Host Galaxies

We reviewed multiple studies on FRB host galaxies to identify commonly used physical and observational parameters. Our database compiles data from diverse peer-reviewed literature sources, and each host galaxy entry in Blinkverse may be associated with multiple references, reflecting the fact that different parameters are often reported across separate studies. These references are provided as clickable links for easy access to related resources. Based on our analysis, we propose a schema comprising 18 key parameters, supplemented by host galaxy images available on Blinkverse for visualization.

The full list of parameters is presented in

Table 1. Data availability of FRB host galaxy.

Parameter	Unit	Description
$z_{\mathrm{sp}}$	-	Spectroscopic redshift
$z_{\mathrm{photo}}$	-	Photometric redshift
$M_r$	mag	Rest-frame absolute r-band magnitude
$u-r$	mag	Rest-frame $u-r$ color
$log(M_{\ast }/{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot })$	dex	Stellar mass
SFR	$M_{\odot }y{r}^{-1}$	Star-formation rate
$\mathrm{E}(\mathrm{B}-\mathrm{V})$	mag	Host extinction $\mathrm{E}(\mathrm{B}-\mathrm{V})$
Age	Gyr	Mass weighted age
Offset	kpc	FRB offset from host centroid (rest-frame)
$R_{eff}$	kpc	Effective radius
logOH	dex	Oxygen abundance
${\mathrm{H}}_{\alpha }$	${10}^{-16} \mathrm{erg}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}$	Emission line flux
${\mathrm{H}}_{\beta }$	${10}^{-16} \mathrm{erg}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}$	Emission line flux
$\left[\mathrm{O}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{I}\right]$ $\lambda 3726$	${10}^{-16} \mathrm{erg}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}$	Emission line flux
$\left[\mathrm{O}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{I}\right]$ $\lambda 3729$	${10}^{-16} \mathrm{erg}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}$	Emission line flux
$\left[\mathrm{O}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{I}\right]$ $\lambda 4959$	${10}^{-16} \mathrm{erg}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}$	Emission line flux
$\left[\mathrm{O}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{I}\right]$ $\lambda 5007$	${10}^{-16} \mathrm{erg}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}$	Emission line flux
$\left[\mathrm{N}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{I}\right]$ $\lambda 6584$	${10}^{-16} \mathrm{erg}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}$	Emission line flux

, and this information can also be accessed under the “Data Description” section on the website, where users can explore the details of each parameter. Over 90 FRB host galaxies have been cataloged so far.

Information about FRB host galaxies can be seen within the visualization interface (Figure 1), and these columns have been made available to apply filtering criteria to searches. The interactive interface allows users to view the locations of FRBs on a sky map, as well as detailed host galaxy data, including RA, Dec, and various astrophysical parameters such as redshift (z), star formation rate (SFR), and host galaxy mass. The system provides additional insights, including related FRBs and access to multiband FITS cutout images of the host galaxies, which are presented in the host information panel and can be downloaded via links to the corresponding data sources. The galaxy images shown in the interface are generated using FASTView, a new tool designed to facilitate visualizing and analyzing astronomical data. More technical details on FASTView and its implementation will be discussed in Section 2.3. This functionality enhances the user experience, enabling efficient filtering and analysis of FRB host galaxy properties.

2.3. FASTView

FASTView is a powerful tool and API designed for the quick exploration of astronomical sources using archival images, photometric data, and spectral data. FASTView was designed by Thomas H. Jarrett and Chao-Wei Tsai to provide a flexible and efficient framework for source visualization and data interaction. The tool is tailored for researchers who need to manually examine tens to tens of thousands of sources to quickly identify novel and interesting targets. Unlike large-scale survey tools, such as SDSS, Pan-STARRS, and LSST, FASTView is optimized for rapid manual analysis, emphasizing efficiency with minimal computational overhead. A complementary approach, such as PATH [17], focuses on probabilistic host identification, while FASTView emphasizes interactive visual inspection and data exploration. A comprehensive description of the tool’s technical implementation can be found in the Appendix A.

In Blinkverse, we only display the image-related sections for each FRB (shown in Figure 2), focusing on the visual representation of their host galaxies. Currently, Blinkverse only displays images from the following surveys: SDSS data release 12, PanStarrs PS1 data release 2, 2MASS, and AllWISE. To avoid redundancy, imaging only fetches: SDSS (u), PanStarrs ($g,r,i,z,y$), 2MASS (J, H, K_s), and AllWISE (W1, W2, W3, W4). The other modules shown in Figure A1, such as the SED Chooser, Source Annotator, and Settings Modifier, are not currently included in the Blinkverse interface. As a result, Blinkverse is designed to offer a simplified, visual-first experience tailored to presenting FRB host galaxy images.

3. Conclusions

Currently, the “FRB host” section is available on the Blinkverse, which only supports general search functionalities, including queries by FRB name and location. Precise search capabilities are not yet available. The functionalities related to FRB host galaxies are relatively basic, primarily due to the fact that research in this area is still in its early stages, despite its rapid development. As observational facilities continue to advance, the volume of available data is expected to grow significantly. In the future, additional features will be incorporated, including analytical modules, a quick plot of key parameters, and galaxy identification tools, all of which are currently under active development.

In this paper, we have achieved the following:

(1)

We have presented the latest updates to Blinkverse, particularly its integration of FRB host galaxy data and the implementation of FASTView for visualization and analysis. The addition of more than 90 FRB host galaxies, each characterized by 18 key parameters, enhances our ability to study the environments in which these enigmatic bursts occur. The visualization interface enables efficient data exploration, allowing researchers to filter and analyze host galaxies with ease.

(2)

We plan to add links to the associated data from known archives such as Hubble Space Telescope (HST), James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), and Very Large Array (VLA). Furthermore, the upcoming commissioning of the Deep Synoptic Array 2000 (DSA-2000)4, Canadian Hydrogen Observatory and Radio-transient Detector (CHORD)5 and Broadband Ultimate Radio Survey for Transients and Timing (BURSIT)6 is expected to greatly enhance the host galaxy coverage of the catalog. The number of host galaxy entries in the database is expected to increase by a factor of 100.

(3)

We have described a tool called FASTView for rapid astronomical data analysis, which has been incorporated into Blinkverse to generate host galaxy images. While still in its alpha stage, FASTView already provides robust functionalities that are being actively utilized within Blinkverse. In addition, Blinkverse is constantly exploring further integration of FASTView’s capabilities to expand its analytical potential.

(4)

Blinkverse aims to become a comprehensive platform for both observation and analysis. Future updates will focus on improving the accuracy of the data, improving visualization tools, and integrating more advanced analytical models to support FRB research.