云南天文台台刊(2003)总目次

恒星作为X射线脉冲星的磁星李向东 (1) .1…………………………………………………脉冲星的射电辐射罗庆环 (1) .6……………………………………………………………低质量X射线双星的毫秒级准周期信号—最近的进展YUWen -fei (1) .12……………空间星震学观测—国外项目与中国方案付建宁 (1) .16…………………………………星族合成张奉辉 ,李立芳 ,韩占文 (2 ) .1…………………………………………………观测结果对三成分多分量化学演化模型的约束宋汉峰 ,吴海滨 ,张波 (3) .1…………毫秒 (ms)脉冲星计时观倪广仁 ,柯熙政 ,杨廷高 ,李孝…     

毫秒脉冲星

毫秒脉冲星PSR1937 214的发现是近几年天体物理学中的一次重要事件。本文介绍了该星的发现史和主要观测事实。该星自转周期为1.557806449023毫秒,是转动最快的脉冲星。周期变率为1.24×10~(-19)秒/秒。在它的周围没有明亮的超新星遗迹。这颗脉冲星的引人注目的特征是磁场低和在P—P图上位置独特。文中还评述了解释这颗脉冲星的四种模型;(1)起源于吸积X射线双星的中子星,通过从伴星吸积物质而加速到毫秒周期;(2)Michel和Dessler提出的盘模型脉冲星中的普通一员;(3)双中子星并合体;(4)辐射年龄小的脉冲星。最后一种可能性是本文作者提出的。根据具有相似特征的脉冲星倾向于分布在同一条PP~(-5)等值线及可按等值线排成演化序列的事实,作者按光速圆柱磁能衰减来定义脉冲星辐射年龄t:B/8π∝PP~(-5)=C_0exp(-2t/τ)(τ为磁能衰减时标),井据此认为PSR1937 214和蟹状星云脉冲星、船帆座脉冲星都是辐射年轻的。     

小质量X射线双星中中子星自转演化的研究

为解释毫秒脉冲星自转周期的观测数据和理论结果之间的差异,采用数值分析的方法研究了小质量X射线双星中中子星的自转演化.在计算中,分别考虑了辐射压和中子星辐照引起的物质交流的不稳定性对系统的影响.结果如下:(1)吸积盘内的辐射压会使自转周期有小幅增加,中子星辐照导致的物质传输率的变化会缩短演化路径中自转减慢的阶段;(2)同时考虑辐射压和中子星辐照时在物质传输的高态阶段吸积会被辐射压抑制;(3)吸积的质量和快参数影响达到自转平衡的系统数目.     

银河系球状星团射电脉冲星的统计研究

球状星团是银河系中最古老的天体系统之一,其恒星密度极端高的核心有利于创造双星之间进行物质交换的环境,从而形成毫秒脉冲星双星、掩食脉冲双星、主序-毫秒脉冲双星、高轨道偏心率双星等双星系统,通过对这些系统进行研究有助于进一步认识球状星团的动力学、双星系统的演化和星际介质等相关问题。自30年前在球状星团中发现第一颗射电脉冲星至今,随着较高灵敏度射电望远镜的不断建成和使用,以及数据数字化处理能力的提高,天文学家在球状星团射电脉冲星的观测和理论研究方面取得很大进展。收集并分析了最新的球状星团脉冲星的数据,研究了球状星团射电脉冲星的自转周期和轨道周期的基本性质,讨论了球状星团脉冲星的搜寻,最后统计分析了双星系统,包括不同伴星类型的脉冲星的分布以及掩食双星系统的性质。     

从光速圆柱磁能的衰减研究毫秒脉冲双星的演化

本文用脉冲星光速圆柱附近磁能的衰减理论研究了毫秒脉冲星的演化。文中从理论上给出了脉冲星到达辐射截止线时的年龄和自转周期,及现在的辐射年龄和从现在辐射年龄到达辐射截止线所需的时间。并用此理论对7颗脉冲双星的演化作了数值计算。     

探究双脉冲星候选体PSR J1906+0746的物理性质

PSR J1906+0746是2006年发现的一颗自旋周期为144 ms的射电脉冲星,由于探测到的是第2颗形成的非自转加速伴星,主星和伴星组成的系统极有可能成为另一对双脉冲星.从PSR J1906+0746的基本物理量出发,针对性地对比研究双中子星和脉冲双星(包括中子星-白矮星)的磁场-周期关系,大致得出他们的演化路径;其次通过双中子星的形成机制以及双星形成过程中的物质损失,假定非自转加速的伴星形成于电子俘获,得出伴星前身星的质量约为1.57 M⊙,在形成双中子星系统过程中损失了约0.23 M⊙.这可能是由于电子俘获能量较低,不能抗衡伴星的引力束缚能,最终抛出物质没有逃逸,形成了一个椭圆环,成功解释了在X射线波段观测到的围绕着PSR J1906+0746的环结构.     

磁星能量注入模型拟合伽玛射线暴X射线余辉光变曲线

某些伽玛射线暴(简称伽玛暴)的中心致密天体可能是一颗具有强磁场的毫秒脉冲星,它通过磁偶极辐射可对伽玛暴外激波注入能量,从而导致早期余辉光变曲线的变平.近年来,从Swift卫星观测到的大量伽玛暴X射线余辉中发现,很多X射线余辉光变曲线在暴后10~2～10~4s期间的确存在明显的变平现象.利用周期为毫秒量级的磁星能量注入模型对11个加玛暴的X射线余辉光变曲线进行了拟合,显示该模型在解释余辉变平现象上的有效性和广泛性,通过对余辉光变曲线的拟合,同时也给出了相关中心磁星的磁场强度和旋转周期.     

4U0115 63:一个高能γ射线双脉冲星

自从发现短周期X射线双脉冲星武仙座X-1发射1,000GeV γ脉冲辐射以后,学者们认为,可能其他的有类似短周期的X射线双脉冲星也有间歇的甚高能γ辐射,最近Chadwick等人对发射间歇性硬X射线双星系统4U0115 63中的3.6秒脉冲星进行了γ射线观测。观测是在1984年9月21日至29日用Dugway γ射线望远镜进行的,观测技术采用的是大气切伦柯夫光探测。选择这个天体作为可能的γ射线发射体,是由于它的光度、自转加速率及脉冲周期等是在北半球可观测天体中最接近武仙座X-1的相应值。     

脉冲星观测研究的某些进展

近年来,对日益增加的脉冲星观测资料的分析和对毫秒脉冲星、射电和X射线脉冲双星的观测,对脉冲星的形成、演化和辐射机制等提出了越来越多的新问题。本文对这些新问题的观测依据进行了介绍。主要涉及下述几方面的问题:是否存在着在结构、形成和演化上均不相同的两类脉冲星?脉冲星是否有两种或两种以上的辐射机制在同时起作用?脉冲星射电辐射中的两种相互垂直的偏振模式,以及近年来在毫秒脉冲星、射电和X射线脉冲双星的观测中所发现的新现象等。     

几何因素对脉冲星自转参数的影响

脉冲星自转参数是脉冲星最重要的参数之一,能反映脉冲星本身的物理性质.根据计时观测所得的自转参数除了包含脉冲星本身固有的部分,还受到几何因素的影响,例如地球自转参数、岁差章动模型、行星历表误差、脉冲星相对于太阳系质心(solar system barycenter,SSB)的速度和加速度.通过分析脉冲星计时观测模型,从而推导出这些因素与脉冲星自转参数的关系,进一步估计了这些因素对自转参数影响的量级大小.在现有的观测精度下,地球自转参数和岁差章动模型的误差对计时观测的影响可忽略,可以认为脉冲星自转参数不受其影响.行星历表误差对自转参数的影响远小于自转参数本身,同样可以忽略.脉冲星相对于太阳系质心的视向速度影响到脉冲星周期,该影响比脉冲星本身周期约小4个量级.值得注意的是,脉冲星横向速度和脉冲星相对于太阳系质心的视向加速度对周期变率的影响不可忽略,特别是对于周期变率较小的毫秒脉冲星来说,这两个因素的影响可能是脉冲星视周期变率中的主要成分.     

Statistics and Evolution of Pulsars’ Parameters

The rotation periods, surface magnetic field strengths, as well as the spatial distribution of the several kinds of pulsars discovered sofar are analyzed statistically. It is revealed that the spatial distribution of the millisecond pulsars is more dispersive than that of the normal radio pulsars. And that the spatial distribution of the pulsars in low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) is also more dispersive than that of the pulsars in high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs). The distribution of rotation periods of the isolated millisecond pulsars has a peak at 4.7ms, and the corresponding peak values for the normal radio pulsars and the millisecond pulsars in binaries are 0.6 s and 3.5ms, respectively. The surface magnetic field strengths of the FERMI pulsars (the gamma-ray pulsars observed by the Large Area Telescope/Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope) and normal pulsars are all concentrated around 1012 Gs. It is found also that some young high-energy pulsars are associated with supernova remnants. In combination with the formation and evolution models of pulsars, we have made some remarks on the characteristics of these distributions.     

Population statistics study of radio and gamma-ray pulsars in the Galactic plane

We present results of our pulsar population synthesis of normal and millisecond pulsars in the Galactic plane. Over the past several years, a program has been developed to simulate pulsar birth, evolution and emission using Monte Carlo techniques. We have added to the program the capability to simulate millisecond pulsars, which are old, recycled pulsars with extremely short periods. We model the spatial distribution of the simulated pulsars by assuming that they start with a random kick velocity and then evolve through the Galactic potential. We use a polar cap/slot gap model for γ-ray emission from both millisecond and normal pulsars. From our studies of radio pulsars that have clearly identifiable core and cone components, in which we fit the polarization sweep as well as the pulse profiles in order to constrain the viewing geometry, we develop a model describing the ratio of radio core-to-cone peak fluxes. In this model, short period pulsars are more cone-dominated than in our previous studies. We present the preliminary results of our recent study and the implications for observing these pulsars with GLAST and AGILE.      

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.     

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.     

Neutron stars in globular clusters: Formation and observational manifestations

Population synthesis is used to model the number of neutron stars in globular clusters that are observed as low-mass X-ray sources and millisecond radio pulsars. The dynamical interactions between binary and single stars in a cluster are assumed to take place only with a continuously replenished “background” of single stars whose properties keep track of the variations in parameters of the cluster as a whole and the evolution of single stars. We use the hypothesis that the neutron stars forming in binary systems from components with initial masses of ～8–12 M _⊙ during the collapse of degenerate O-Ne-Mg cores through electron captures do not acquire a high space velocity. The remaining neutron stars (from single stars with masses >8 M _⊙ or from binary components with masses >12 M _⊙) are assumed to be born with high space velocities. According to this hypothesis, a sizeable fraction of the forming neutron stars remain in globular clusters (about 1000 stars in a cluster with a mass of 5 × 10⁵ M _⊙). The number of millisecond radio pulsars forming in such a cluster in the case of accretion-driven spinup in binary systems is found to be ～10, in agreement with observations. Our modeling also reproduces the observed shape of the X-ray luminosity function for accreting neutron stars in binary systems with normal and degenerate components and the distribution of spin periods for millisecond pulsars.     

How rapidly do neutron stars spin at birth? Constraints from archival X-ray observations of extragalactic supernovae

Traditionally, studies aimed at inferring the distribution of birth periods of neutron stars are based on radio surveys. Here we propose an independent method to constrain the pulsar spin periods at birth based on their X-ray luminosities. In particular, the observed luminosity distribution of supernovae (SNe) poses a constraint on the initial rotational energy of the embedded pulsars, via the     correlation found for radio pulsars, and under the assumption that this relation continues to hold beyond the observed range. We have extracted X-ray luminosities (or limits) for a large sample of historical SNe observed with Chandra , XMM and Swift , which have been firmly classified as core-collapse SNe. We have then compared these observational limits with the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the pulsar X-ray luminosity distribution for a range of values of the birth parameters. We find that a pulsar population dominated by millisecond periods at birth is ruled out by the data.     

Determination of the orbital parameters of binary pulsars

We present a simple, novel method for determining the orbital parameters of binary pulsars. This method works with any sort of orbital sampling, no matter how sparse, provided that information on the period derivatives is available with each measurement of the rotational period of the pulsar, and it is applicable to binary systems with nearly circular orbits. We use the technique to estimate precisely the hitherto unknown orbital parameters of two binary millisecond pulsars in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae, 47 Tuc S and T. The method can also be used more generally to make first-order estimates of the orbital parameters of binary systems using a minimal number of data.     

相控阵馈源MVDR波束合成器缓解RFI仿真

相控阵馈源(Phased array feeds, PAFs)接收机作为下一代微波接收机,为大口径射电天文望远镜的射电干扰(Radio Frequency Interference, RFI)缓解工作带来了新的解决方法. PAFs接收机对射电望远镜焦平面的电磁波进行空域采样,返回时域阵列信号,使用最小方差无失真响应(Minimum Variance Distortionless Response, MVDR)波束合成器可以自适应地识别RFI的方向,同时抑制RFI在输出信号中的功率,从而达到提升射电望远镜灵敏度的效果.仿真结果表明MVDR波束合成器对有源高能量的射电干扰有很强的识别能力和一定程度的缓解能力,同时,该波束合成器对各阵元信道中加性噪声累积引起的无源干扰有很强的抑制能力,因此, PAFs接收机的MVDR波束合成器可以增强日益复杂电磁波环境下射电望远镜的抗干扰能力.     

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     

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.