Studying fast radio bursts through population synthesis

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are cosmological transients of unknown origin. While first discovered just over 10 years ago, the enigmatic nature of FRBs is yet to be understood. As exceedingly bright radio emitters, FRBs are visible over immense, cosmological distances. Many are over a billion light years from Earth. If we knew more about FRBs, we could use such bursts to study the evolution of the universe and the extremes of space.
This thesis focuses on determining properties of FRBs. Rather than investigating the properties of specific FRBs, we chose to determine properties of the full FRB population. To do so, we use a computational and statistical method called population synthesis. This method involves modelling an intrinsic population, applying selection effects, and then trying to match simulated results to real detections. By taking all of the factors behind a single FRB detection into account, this type of simulation can help to uncover the true nature of FRBs. Recent research suggests FRBs could be powered by neutron stars with strong magnetic fields. We also study the behaviour of neutron stars in other systems, called Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs). Such systems feature a neutron star accreting mass from a companion star via a so-called accretion disk.