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Abstract

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are mysterious astronomical phenomena, and it is still uncertain whether they consist of multiple types. In this study, we use two nonlinear dimensionality reduction algorithms – Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) and t-distributed stochastic neighbour embedding (t-SNE) – to differentiate repeaters from apparently non-repeaters in FRBs. Based on the first Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) FRB catalogue, these two methods are applied to standardized parameter data and image data from a sample of 594 sub-bursts and 535 FRBs, respectively. Both methods are able to differentiate repeaters from apparently non-repeaters. The UMAP algorithm using image data produces more accurate results and is a more model-independent method. Our result shows that in general repeater clusters tend to be narrowband, which implies a difference in burst morphology between repeaters and apparently non-repeaters. We also compared our UMAP predictions with the CHIME/FRB discovery of six new repeaters, the performance was generally good except for one outlier. Finally, we highlight the need for a larger and more complete sample of FRBs.