FRB 121102: No supernova-like ejecta or magnetar power, hinting at a binary WD merger

Abstract

We use measurements of the time-dependent dispersion measure of the repeating FRB 121102, together with earlier radio observations of its associated persistent radio source (PRS), to derive stringent constraints on its underlying ``engine.'' The energy held by the relativistic PRS plasma is $>10^{49.5}$ erg, and its age is $\approx60$ yr, corresponding to an underlying source power exceeding $10^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$. If the underlying source is a neutron star, this implies a rotational rather than a magnetic energy source, consistent with a $\sim10$ ms, $\sim10^{12.5}$ G neutron star. Alternatively, accretion may also be a viable energy source. The velocity and the kinetic energy of the cold plasma confining the relativistic PRS plasma are inconsistent with it being typical supernova ejecta (unless a significant fraction of the ejecta mass is carried by high-density clumps of $\approx10^{-2.5}$ fractional size)- its expansion speed is limited to a few hundred km/s, which also implies that it was ejected from the source more than $\approx 10^3$ yr preceding the onset of relativistic PRS plasma emission. These constraints may be satisfied by a white dwarf binary merger progenitor system, where a fraction of a solar mass was ejected at a slow speed during and after the merger, and a rapidly rotating neutron star was formed after $\sim10^3$ yr thermal evolution period of the merger remnant.