Abstract
The release of a second catalog of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) by the CHIME/FRB collaboration marks a major advance in the statistical study of these enigmatic cosmic transients. As with any astrophysical survey, a quantitative understanding of the instrument’s inherent selection effects is essential to fully realizing the scientific potential of the sample. We characterize CHIME/FRB’s selection function by injecting a large, synthetic FRB population with known properties into the telescope’s live data stream, allowing us to model the probability of detection and non-detection across the multidimensional FRB parameter space. I will present results from this extensive injection campaign, including a dataset of more than 500,000 injected bursts and a statistical framework for quantifying CHIME/FRB’s sensitivity and completeness. These results provide the foundation for unbiased estimates of intrinsic FRB population properties and event rates, enabling more accurate comparisons between observed and theoretical FRB populations.
Anyone interested is welcome to attend.