Morphology and characteristics of radio pulsars

This review describes the observational properties of radio pulsars, fast rotating neutron stars, emitting radio waves. After the introduction we give a list of milestones in pulsar research. The following chapters concentrate on pulsar morphology: the characteristic pulsar parameters such as pulse shape, pulsar spectrum, polarization and time dependence. We give information on the evolution of pulsars with frequency since this has a direct connection with the emission heights, as postulated in the radius to frequency mapping (RFM) concept. We deal successively with the properties of normal (slow) pulsars and of millisecond (fast-recycled) pulsars. The final chapters give the distribution characteristics of the presently catalogued 1300 objects.Received: 5 December 2003, Published online: 15 April 2004 Correspondence to: Richard Wielebinski     

Populating the Galaxy with pulsars – I. Stellar and binary evolution

The computation of theoretical pulsar populations has been a major component of pulsar studies since the 1970s. However, the majority of pulsar population synthesis has only regarded isolated pulsar evolution. Those that have examined pulsar evolution within binary systems tend to either treat binary evolution poorly or evolve the pulsar population in an ad hoc manner. Thus, no complete and direct comparison with observations of the pulsar population within the Galactic disc has been possible to date. Described here is the first component of what will be a complete synthetic pulsar population survey code. This component is used to evolve both isolated and binary pulsars. Synthetic observational surveys can then be performed on this population for a variety of radio telescopes. The final tool used for completing this work will be a code comprised of three components: stellar/binary evolution, Galactic kinematics and survey selection effects. Results provided here support the need for further (apparent) pulsar magnetic field decay during accretion, while they conversely suggest the need for a re-evaluation of the assumed typical millisecond pulsar formation process. Results also focus on reproducing the observed     diagram for Galactic pulsars and how this precludes short time-scales for standard pulsar exponential magnetic field decay. Finally, comparisons of bulk pulsar population characteristics are made to observations displaying the predictive power of this code, while we also show that under standard binary evolutionary assumption binary pulsars may accrete much mass.     

The Geminga fraction

Radio-quiet γ-ray pulsars like Geminga may account for a number of the unidentified EGRET sources in the Galaxy. The number of Geminga-like pulsars is very sensitive to the geometry of both the γ-ray and radio beams. Recent studies of the shape and polarization of pulse profiles of young radio pulsars have provided evidence that their radio emission originates in wide cone beams at altitudes that are a significant fraction (1–10%) of their light cylinder radius. Such wide radio emission beams will be visible at a much larger range of observer angles than the narrow core components thought to originate at lower altitude. Using 3D geometrical modeling that includes relativistic effects from pulsar rotation, we study the visibility of such radio cone beams as well as that of the γ-ray beams predicted by slot gap and outer gap models. From the results of this study, one can obtain revised predictions for the fraction of Geminga-like, radio quiet pulsars present in the γ-ray pulsar population.      

The Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey – VI. Discovery and timing of 142 pulsars and a Galactic population analysis

We present the discovery and follow-up observations of 142 pulsars found in the Parkes 20-cm multibeam pulsar survey of the Galactic plane. These new discoveries bring the total number of pulsars found by the survey to 742. In addition to tabulating spin and astrometric parameters, along with pulse width and flux density information, we present orbital characteristics for 13 binary pulsars which form part of the new sample. Combining these results from another recent Parkes multibeam survey at high Galactic latitudes, we have a sample of 1008 normal pulsars which we use to carry out a determination of their Galactic distribution and birth rate. We infer a total Galactic population of  30 000 ± 1100  potentially detectable pulsars (i.e. those beaming towards us) having 1.4-GHz luminosities above 0.1 mJy kpc². Adopting the Tauris & Manchester beaming model, this translates to a total of  155 000 ± 6000  active radio pulsars in the Galaxy above this luminosity limit. Using a pulsar current analysis, we derive the birth rate of this population to be  1.4 ± 0.2  pulsars per century. An important conclusion from our work is that the inferred radial density function of pulsars depends strongly on the assumed distribution of free electrons in the Galaxy. As a result, any analyses using the most recent electron model of Cordes & Lazio predict a dearth of pulsars in the inner Galaxy. We show that this model can also bias the inferred pulsar scaleheight with respect to the Galactic plane. Combining our results with other Parkes multibeam surveys we find that the population is best described by an exponential distribution with a scaleheight of 330 pc. Surveys underway at Parkes and Arecibo are expected to improve the knowledge of the radial distribution outside the solar circle, and to discover several hundred new pulsars in the inner Galaxy.     

Pulsar sensitivity studies of the GLAST large area telescope

In this contribution we present our preliminary investigation on pulsar sensitivity of the Large Area Telescope, the main instrument aboard the GLAST mission. In particular we concentrated our attention to pulsars located at low galactic latitudes. We created a set of simulated pulsars having different fluxes in an array of galactic coordinates separated by a distance greater than the LAT Point Spread Function in order to avoid confusion between adjacent sources. Galactic gamma-ray sky background as used during the second LAT Data Challenge (DC2) is also included. We then run an automatic routine for testing periodicity for all the pulsars considering an opportune timing solution. In this way we can obtain a map of the sensitivity of the periodic searches for different fluxes and for various Galactic latitudes. Some assumptions have been made by simulating the pulsar sources, but this study is a first step toward an estimate for pulsed emission sensitivity of the GLAST LAT. The pulsed flux sensitivity profile we generate could also be input to a population synthesis code of Galactic pulsars in order to obtain more accurate predictions of the number of expected pulsar detections by GLAST. On behalf of the GLAST LAT Collaboration.     

The Parkes Southern Pulsar Survey — II. Final results and population analysis

A survey of the entire southern sky for millisecond and low-luminosity pulsars using the ATNF Parkes radio telescope has now been completed. The survey detected 298 pulsars, of which 101 were previously unknown. The new pulsars include 17 millisecond pulsars. This is the largest sample of both normal and millisecond pulsars detected in any survey. Combining our sample with other recent surveys in the Northern Hemisphere, we present a statistical study of the populations of both normal and millisecond pulsars. We find that the improved statistics allow us to estimate the number and birth-rate of both types of pulsar down to a 400-MHz luminosity limit of 1 mJy kpc². The local surface densities of potentially observable normal pulsars and millisecond pulsars are both about 30 kpc⁻², corresponding to ∼ 30000 potentially observable pulsars of each type in the Galaxy. Once beaming effects are taken into consideration we estimate that the active population of normal pulsars is ∼ 160000. Although there is evidence for flattening of the luminosity function of normal pulsars, this is not evident for millisecond pulsars which probably have a substantial population with luminosities below 1 mJy kpc². After correcting for beaming effects, we estimate that a normal pulsar is born with a luminosity greater than 1 mJy kpc² between once every 60 and 330 yr in the Galaxy. The birth-rate of millisecond pulsars is at least 3 × 10⁻⁶ yr⁻¹ above the same luminosity limit. Modelling the observed transverse speeds of millisecond pulsars using a dynamical simulation, we find their mean birth velocity to be 130 ± 30 km s⁻¹, significantly lower than that of the normal pulsars.     

Studying millisecond pulsars in X-rays

Millisecond pulsars represent an evolutionarily distinct group among rotation-powered pulsars. Outside the radio band, the soft X-ray range (～0.1–10 keV) is most suitable for studying radiative mechanisms operating in these fascinating objects. X-ray observations revealed diverse properties of emission from millisecond pulsars. For the most of them, the bulk of radiation is of a thermal origin, emitted from small spots (polar caps) on the neutron star surface heated by relativistic particles produced in pulsar acceleration zones. On the other hand, a few other very fast rotating pulsars exhibit almost pure nonthermal emission generated, most probably, in pulsar magnetospheres. There are also examples of nonthermal emission detected from X-ray nebulae powered by millisecond pulsars, as well as from pulsar winds shocked in binary systems with millisecond pulsars as companions. These and other most important results obtained from X-ray observations of millisecond pulsars are reviewed in this paper, as well as results from the search for millisecond pulsations in X-ray flux of the radio-quite neutron star RX J1856.5-3754.     

Fe emission and ionized excess absorption in the luminous quasar 3C 109 with XMM–Newton

The Parkes High-Latitude pulsar survey covers a region of the sky enclosed by Galactic longitudes 220° < l < 260° and Galactic latitudes | b | < 60°. The observations have been performed using the 20-cm multibeam receiver on the Parkes 64-m radio telescope. A total of 6456 pointings of 265 s each have been collected. The system adopted provided a sensitivity limit, for long-period pulsars with 5 per cent duty cycles, of ∼0.5 mJy. Data analysis resulted in the detection of 42 pulsars of which 18 were new discoveries. Four of these belong to the class of the millisecond – or recycled – pulsars; three of these four are in binary systems. The double pulsar system J0737−3039 is among those and has been presented elsewhere. Here, we discuss the other discoveries and provide timing parameters for the objects for which we have a phase-connected solution.     

Region of enhanced flux of cosmic rays with PeV energies toward the pulsars PSR J1840+5640 and LAT PSR J1836+5925

Analysis of the arrival directions of extensive air showers (EASs) detected on the EAS MSU array and the prototype of the EAS-1000 array has revealed a region of enhanced flux of cosmic rays with PeV energies toward the pulsars PSR J1840+5640 and LAT PSR J1836+5925 at a confidence level up to 4.5σ. The first pulsar was discovered almost 30 years ago and is a well-studied old radio pulsar at a distance of 1.7 kpc from the Solar system. The second pulsar belongs to a new class of pulsars discovered by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Observatory whose pulsations are seen neither in the X-ray nor in the radio bands, but only in the gamma-ray energy range (gamma-ray-only pulsars). In our opinion, the existence of a region of enhanced cosmic-ray flux in the data sets obtained on two different arrays suggests that the pulsars can make a noticeable contribution to the flux of Galactic cosmic rays with PeV energies.     

A new look at pulsar statistics — Birthrate and evidence for injection

We make a statistical analysis of the periodsP and period-derivativesP of pulsars using a model independent theory of pulsar flow in theP-P diagram. Using the available sample ofP andP values, we estimate the current of pulsars flowing unidirectionally along theP-axis, which is related to the pulsar birthrate. Because of radio luminosity selection effects, the observed pulsar sample is biased towards lowP and highP. We allow for this by weighting each pulsar by a suitable scale factor. We obtain the number of pulsars in our galaxy to be 6.05_−2.80 ^+3.32 × 10⁵ and the birthrate to be 0.048_−0.011 ^+0.014 pulsars yr⁻¹ galaxy⁻¹. The quoted errors refer to 95 per cent confidence limits corresponding to fluctuations arising from sampling, but make no allowance for other systematic and random errors which could be substantial. The birthrate estimated here is consistent with the supernova rate. We further conclude that a large majority of pulsars make their first appearance at periods greater than 0.5 s. This ‘injection’, which runs counter to present thinking, is probably connected with the physics of pulsar radio emission. Using a variant of our theory, where we compute the current as a function of pulsar ‘age’ (1/2P/P), we find support for the dipole braking model of pulsar evolution upto 6 × 10⁶ yr of age. We estimate the mean pulsar braking index to be 3.7_−0.8 ^+0.8.     

The contribution to the Galactic diffuse gamma-ray spectrum from unresolved rotation-powered pulsars

We consider the contribution to the Galactic diffuse γ-ray emission from unresolved γ-ray pulsars. Based on the thick outer gap model, Monte Carlo methods are used to simulate the properties (period, distance, magnetic field, etc.) of the Galactic population of rotation-powered pulsars the gamma-ray flux of which is lower than the threshold sensitivity of the EGRET detector on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory . Furthermore, the contribution to the Galactic diffuse γ-ray spectrum from the unresolved γ-ray pulsars is calculated. Our results indicate that the unresolved γ-ray pulsars contribute ∼5 to ∼10 per cent to the measured Galactic diffuse γ-ray emission if the birth rate of neutron stars in the Galaxy is 1 to 2 per century, and that these pulsars contribute significantly to the observed Galactic diffuse γ-ray emission above 1 GeV. Comparing the model spectrum with the observed spectrum, we show that the unresolved γ-ray pulsars contribute very little to the diffuse emission at lower energies but can account for ∼50 per cent of the observed spectrum above 1 GeV if the product of the birth rate of neutron stars and the γ-ray beaming fraction is about unity. Such a large pulsar contribution can explain the difference (∼60 per cent) between the intensity of the Galactic diffuse emission as measured by EGRET above 1 GeV and model predictions based on cosmic ray–matter interaction only.     

Radio-Loud and Radio-Quiet Gamma-Ray Pulsars from the Galaxy and the Gould Belt

We present results of a population synthesis study of radio-loud and radio-quiet γ-ray pulsars from the Galactic plane and the Gould Belt. The simulation includes the Parkes multibeam pulsar survey, realistic beam geometries for radio and γ-ray emission from neutron stars and the new electron density model of Cordes and Lazio. Normalizing to the number of radio pulsars observed by a set of nine radio surveys, the simulation suggests a neutron star birth rate of 1.4 neutron stars per century in the Galactic plane. In addition, the simulation predicts 19 radio-loud and 7 radio-quiet γ-ray pulsars from the plane that EGRET should have observed as point sources. Assuming that during the last 5 Myr the Gould Belt produced 100 neutron stars, only 10 of these would be observed as radio pulsars with three radio-loud and four radio-quiet γ-ray pulsars observed by EGRET. These results are in general agreement with the recent number of about 25 EGRET error boxes that contain Parkes radio pulsars. Since the Gould Belt pulsars are relatively close by, the selection of EGRET radio-quiet γ-ray pulsars strongly favors large impact angles, β, in the viewing geometry where the off-beam emission from curvature radiation provides the γ-ray flux. Therefore, the simulated EGRET radio-quiet γ-ray pulsars, being young and nearby, most closely reflect the current shape of the Gould Belt suggesting that such sources may significantly contribute to the EGRET unidentified γ-ray sources correlated with the Gould Belt.     

Millisecond pulsar radiation properties

Two investigations of millisecond pulsar radiation are discussed: average total intensity pulse morphology and individual pulse to pulse fluctuations. The average emission profiles of millisecond pulsars are compared with those of slower pulsars in the context of polar cap models. In general the full widths of pulsar emission regions continue to widen inversely with periodP as P^-(0.30-0.5) as expected for dipole polar cap models. Many pulse components are very narrow. The period scaling of pulsar profiles -separations and widths -can tell us about the angular distribution of radiating currents. An investigation of individual pulses from two millisecond pulsars at 430 MHz shows erratic pulse to pulse variations similar to that seen in slow pulsars. PSR B1937+21 displays occasional strong pulses that are located in the trailing edge of the average profile with relative flux densities in the range of 100 to 400. These are similar to the giant pulses seen in the Crab pulsar.     

PSR J1453+1902 and the radio luminosities of solitary versus binary millisecond pulsars

We present 3 yr of timing observations for PSR J1453+1902, a 5.79-ms pulsar discovered during a 430-MHz drift-scan survey with the Arecibo telescope. Our observations show that PSR J1453+1902 is solitary and has a proper motion of  8 ±  2  mas yr⁻¹. At the nominal distance of 1.2 kpc estimated from the pulsar's dispersion measure, this corresponds to a transverse speed of  46 ± 11   km s⁻¹  , typical of the millisecond pulsar population. We analyse the current sample of 55 millisecond pulsars in the Galactic disc and revisit the question of whether the luminosities of isolated millisecond pulsars are different from their binary counterparts. We demonstrate that the apparent differences in the luminosity distributions seen in samples selected from 430-MHz surveys can be explained by small-number statistics and observational selection biases. An examination of the sample from 1400-MHz surveys shows no differences in the distributions. The simplest conclusion from the current data is that the spin, kinematic, spatial and luminosity distributions of isolated and binary millisecond pulsars are consistent with a single homogeneous population.     

Radio pulsars in Terzan 5

We report on searches of the globular cluster Terzan 5 for low-luminosity and accelerated radio pulsars using the 64-m Parkes radio telescope. One new millisecond pulsar, designated PSR J1748−2446C, was discovered, having a period of 8.44 ms. Timing measurements using the 76-m Lovell radio telescope at Jodrell Bank show that it is a solitary pulsar and lies close to the core of the cluster. We also present the results of timing measurements which show that the longer period pulsar PSR J1748−2444 (formerly known as PSR B1744−24B) lies 10 arcmin from the core of the cluster and is unlikely to be associated with the cluster. We conclude that there are further pulsars to be detected in the cluster.     

Experimental Set-Up for Detecting Very Fast and Dispersed Millisecond Pulsars

We have developed observational and data processingtechniques for detecting millisecond pulsars. Themethod of data processing consists in correlating timeseries of data by folding them in two steps accordingto a trial period. While very time consuming,especially for very short periods, this methods allowsus in principle to detect very fast and dispersedmillisecond pulsars. The experimental set-up has beenintegrated into a data acquisition system developed atCentre national d'études spatiales (CNES).Observations of known millisecond pulsars atNançay radio observatory are used to validate thesystem and assess the sensitivity of the survey, whichis 3.5 mJy for 240 sec of integration. Futureimprovements in the radio-telescope and the systemshould bring it down to below 1 mJy. The applicationof the method to a millisecond pulsar survey is underway at Nançay radio observatory in collaborationbetween the Bureau international des poids et mesure(BIPM), Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), and CNES.     

Precision timing measurements of PSR J1012+5307

We present results and applications of high-precision timing measurements of the binary millisecond pulsar J1012+5307. Combining our radio timing measurements with results based on optical observations, we derive complete 3D velocity information for this system. Correcting for Doppler effects, we derive the intrinsic spin parameters of this pulsar and a characteristic age of 8.6±1.9 Gyr . Our upper limit for the orbital eccentricity of only 8×10⁻⁷ (68 per cent confidence level) is the smallest ever measured for a binary system. We demonstrate that this makes the pulsar an ideal laboratory in which to test certain aspects of alternative theories of gravitation. Our precision measurements suggest deviations from a simple pulsar spin-down timing model, which are consistent with timing noise and the extrapolation of the known behaviour of slowly rotating pulsars.     

射电脉冲星的逆康普顿散射（ICS）模型和偏振观测

近来我们在射电脉冲星的逆康普顿散射模型,致密星物理以及一些相关问题上做了下列几项工作：１） 对脉冲星物理中的一系列基本理论进行了较深入的研究,包括对裸奇异星比中子星更可能是射电脉冲星之起源的观点的论证。２） 进一步发展了射电脉冲星的逆康普顿散射（ＩＣＳ） 模型并完成了一系列相关工作。３） 进行了脉冲星的偏振分析和有关观测工作,并用其结果对银河系磁场和旋臂结构进行了分析。４） 研究了黑洞脉冲星双星系统的一些特性,为黑洞的搜寻工作作了初步准备。     

New pulsar rotation measures and the Galactic magnetic field

We measured a sample of 150 pulsar rotation measures (RMs) using the 20-cm receiver of the Parkes 64-m radio telescope. 46 of the pulsars in our sample have not had their RM values previously published, whereas 104 pulsar RMs have been revised. We used a novel quadratic fitting algorithm to obtain an accurate RM from the calibrated polarization profiles recorded across 256 MHz of receiver bandwidth. The new data are used in conjunction with previously known dispersion measures and the NE2001 electron-density model to study models of the direction and magnitude of the Galactic magnetic field.     

High-precision timing of PSR J1600−3053

We present the results of a high-precision timing campaign directed at the binary millisecond pulsar J1600−3053. Submicrosecond pulsar timing has long been the domain of bright, low dispersion measure millisecond pulsars or large diameter telescopes. This experiment, conducted using the Parkes radio telescope in New South Wales, Australia, and utilizing the latest baseband recording hardware, has allowed this pulsar, although distant and faint, to present residuals to a model of its spin behaviour of 650 ns over a period of more than 2 yr. We have also constrained the orbital inclination via Shapiro delay to be between 59° and 70° to 95 per cent confidence and obtained a scintillation velocity measurement indicating a transverse velocity less than 84 km s⁻¹. This pulsar is demonstrating remarkable stability comparable to, and in most cases improving upon, the very best long-term pulsar timing experiments. If this stability is maintained, the current limits on the energy density of the stochastic gravitational wave background will be reached in four more years.