Parkes observations for project P938 semester 2016OCTS

We propose a targeted, 357-hr search of two nearby galaxies with high star-formation rates (SFRs) for fast radio bursts (FRBs). The primary aim of this carefully designed experiment is to test the hypothesis that FRBs are correlated with SFR, and originate in the nearby Universe at typical distances of ~100 Mpc. This hypothesis is supported by leading models for FRBs that invoke extreme forms of young neutron-star emission, and by arguments based on signatures of FRB propagation. If the hypothesis is true, we expect ~20 FRB detections in our observations. In the case of a null result, we will show that FRBs are highly likely to originate at distances beyond ~175 Mpc. Our observations will also allow for the most sensitive search to date (by a factor of 30) for supergiant pulses from extragalactic analogues of the Crab pulsar. By using the 20cm Multibeam receiver, with the central beam pointed at the galaxies of interest, we will additionally perform a standard FRB search in all beams with an expected yield of one serendipitous event. Although we have no guarantee of a higher FRB detection rate than a truly blind survey, our experimental design ensures that we will finish with substantially greater insight into the FRB population.