Formation of the radio profile components of the Crab pulsar

The induced Compton scattering of radio emission off the particles of the ultrarelativistic electron–positron plasma in the open field line tube of a pulsar is considered. We examine the scattering of a bright narrow radio beam into the background over a wide solid angle and specifically study the scattering in the transverse regime, which holds in a moderately strong magnetic field and gives rise to the scattered component nearly antiparallel to the streaming velocity of the scattering particles. Making use of the angular distribution of the scattered intensity and taking into account the effect of rotational aberration in the scattering region, we simulate the profiles of the backscattered components as applied to the Crab pulsar. It is suggested that the interpulse (IP), the high-frequency interpulse (IP') and the pair of so-called high-frequency components (HFC1 and HFC2) result from the backward scattering of the main pulse (MP), precursor (PR) and low-frequency component (LFC), respectively. The components of the high-frequency profiles, the IP' and HFCs, are interpreted for the first time. The HFC1 and HFC2 are argued to be a single component split by the rotational aberration close to the light cylinder. It is demonstrated that the observed spectral and polarization properties of the profile components of the Crab pulsar as well as the giant pulse phenomenon outside the MP can be explained in terms of our model.     

Pulsar reflections within the Crab Nebula

Between 1997 August and October, the radio pulses from the Crab pulsar were followed by discrete moving echoes, which appear to be reflections from part of an ionized shell in the outer part of the Crab Nebula, crossing the line of sight to pulsar. Similar events have now been recognized in recordings from the past 30 yr, and it seems that the Nebula must contain a large number of ionized shell-like surfaces on a much finer scale than recognized hitherto.     

Very-high-energy gamma radiation associated with the unshocked wind of the Crab pulsar

We show that the relativistic wind of the Crab pulsar, which is commonly thought to be invisible in the region upstream of the termination shock at r r _S∼0.1 pc, in fact could be directly observed through its inverse Compton (IC) γ -ray emission. This radiation is caused by illumination of the wind by low-frequency photons emitted by the pulsar, and consists of two, pulsed and unpulsed , components associated with the non-thermal (pulsed) and thermal (unpulsed) low-energy radiation of the pulsar, respectively. These two components of γ -radiation have distinct spectral characteristics, which depend essentially on the site of formation of the kinetic-energy-dominated wind, as well as on the Lorentz factor and the geometry of propagation of the wind. Thus, the search for such specific radiation components in the spectrum of the Crab Nebula can provide unique information about the unshocked pulsar wind that is not accessible at other wavelengths. In particular, we show that the comparison of the calculated flux of the unpulsed IC emission with the measured γ -ray flux of the Crab Nebula excludes the possibility of formation of a kinetic-energy-dominated wind within 5 light-cylinder radii of the pulsar, R _w5 R _L. The analysis of the pulsed IC emission, calculated under reasonable assumptions concerning the production site and angular distribution of the optical pulsed radiation, yields even tighter restrictions, namely R _w30 R _L.     

Mechanism of generation of the emission bands in the dynamic spectrum of the Crab pulsar

We show that the proportionately spaced emission bands in the dynamic spectrum of the Crab pulsar fit the oscillations of the square of a Bessel function whose argument exceeds its order. This function has already been encountered in the analysis of the emission from a polarization current with a superluminal distribution pattern: a current whose distribution pattern rotates (with an angular frequency ω) and oscillates (with a frequency  Ω > ω  differing from an integral multiple of ω) at the same time. Using the results of our earlier analysis, we find that the dependence on frequency of the spacing and width of the observed emission bands can be quantitatively accounted for by an appropriate choice of the value of the single free parameter  Ω/ω  . In addition, the value of this parameter, thus implied by Hankins & Eilek's data, places the last peak in the amplitude of the oscillating Bessel function in question at a frequency  (∼Ω³/ω²)  that agrees with the position of the observed ultraviolet peak in the spectrum of the Crab pulsar. We also show how the suppression of the emission bands by the interference of the contributions from differing polarizations can account for the differences in the time and frequency signatures of the interpulse and the main pulse in the Crab pulsar. Finally, we put the emission bands in the context of the observed continuum spectrum of the Crab pulsar by fitting this broad-band spectrum (over 16 orders of magnitude of frequency) with that generated by an electric current with a superluminally rotating distribution pattern.     

The energy loss of a rotating magnetized neutron star

The analysis of observations of pulsar B1931+24 shows that the mechanism of the spin-down of a rotating magnetized neutron star is due to the plasma generation in its magnetosphere and, consequently, the radio emission generation. The unique observation of the switch on and switch off of this pulsar allows us to distinguish between the energy loss in the absence of radio emission (the magnetodipole radiation) and the current loss due to the rotation energy expenditure to the relativistic plasma generation and acceleration in the pulsar magnetosphere. The inclination angle χ, the angle between the rotation axis and the magnetic dipole axis, can be stationary for this pulsar,  χ=χ_st  . From observations and theory it follows that  χ_st= 59°  .     

Milestones in the Observations of Cosmic Magnetic Fields

Magnetic fields are observed everywhere in the universe. In this review, we concentrate on the observational aspects of the magnetic fields of Galactic and extragalactic objects. Readers can follow the milestones in the observations of cosmic magnetic fields obtained from the most important tracers of magnetic fields, namely, the star-light polarization, the Zeeman effect, the rotation measures (RMs, hereafter) of extragalactic radio sources, the pulsar RMs, radio polarization observations, as well as the newly implemented sub-mm and mm polarization capabilities. The magnetic field of the Galaxy was first discovered in 1949 by optical polarization observations. The local magnetic fields within one or two kpc have been well delineated by starlight polarization data. The polarization observations of diffuse Galactic radio background emission in 1962 confirmed unequivocally the existence of a Galactic magnetic field. The bulk of the present information about the magnetic fields in the Galaxy comes from anal     

Peculiarities of giant pulses from the crab pulsar at frequencies of 594 and 2228 MHz

We present the results of our simultaneous observations of giant pulses from the Crab pulsar B0531+21 at frequencies of 594 and 2228 MHz with a high (62.5 ns) time resolution. The pulse broadening by scattering was found to be 25 and 0.4 µs at 594 and 2228 MHz, respectively. We obtained the original giant-pulse profiles compensated for interstellar scattering. The measured profile widths at the two frequencies are approximately equal, ≈0.5 µs; i.e., the giant pulses are narrower than the integrated profile by a factor of about 1000. We detected an extremely high brightness temperature of radio emission, T_b≥10³⁶ K radio emission, which is higher than the previous estimates of this parameter by five orders of magnitude. The decorrelation bandwidth of the radio-spectrum diffraction distortions has been determined for this pulsar for the first time: 10 kHz at 594 MHz and 300 kHz at 2228 MHz.     

Multifrequency polarimetry of 300 radio pulsars

Polarimetric observations of 300 pulsars have been conducted with the 76-m Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank at radio frequencies centred around 230, 400, 600, 920, 1400 and 1600 MHz. More than half of the pulsars have no previously published polarization profiles and this compilation represents about three times the sum of all previously published pulsar polarization data. A selection of integrated polarization profiles is provided. Tables of pulse widths and the degree of both linear and circular polarization are given for all pulsars, and these act as an index for all the data, which are available by anonymous ftp in numerical and graphical form.     

国家授时中心40米射电望远镜Crab脉冲星周期跃变监测

脉冲星周期跃变是一种罕见的现象,是研究其内部结构的探针。针对2019年2月~12月国家授时中心昊平观测站40 m射电望远镜在脉冲星计时观测中监测Crab脉冲星的数据,采用脉冲星计时方法,用TEMPO2拟合程序进行分析。结果表明,Crab脉冲星在2019年7月23日(MJD 58687)附近发生了一次周期跃变现象,该跃变自转增量为Δv_g=5.33(4)×10^-7Hz,自转变化量为Δv_g/v=17.9(1)×10^-9,并伴随着恢复系数Q~0.88的指数恢复过程。此次Crab脉冲星周期跃变的监测及处理,证实了40 m射电望远镜对脉冲星的监测性能,同时为研究周期跃变的产生机理积累了样本。     

Polarization observations of giant radio pulses from the millisecond pulsar B1937+21 at a frequency of 600 MHz

We performed polarization observations of giant radio pulses from the millisecond pulsar B1937+21. The observations were carried out in July 2002 with the 64-m Kalyazin radio telescope at a frequency of 600 MHz in two polarization channels with left-and right-hand circular polarizations (RCP and LCP). We used the S2 data acquisition system with a time resolution of 125 ns. The duration of an observing session was 20 min. We detected twelve giant radio pulses with peak flux densities higher than 1000 Jy; five and seven of these pulses appeared in the RCP and LCP channels, respectively. We found no event that exceeded the established detection threshold simultaneously in the two polarization channels. Thus, we may conclude that the detected giant pulses have a high degree of circular polarization, with the frequency of occurrence of RCP and LCP pulses being the same.     

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.     

The topology and polarization of sub-beams associated with the 'drifting' sub-pulse emission of pulsar B0943+10 – II. Analysis of Gauribidanur 35-MHz observations

In the previous paper of this series, Deshpande & Rankin reported results regarding the sub-pulse drift phenomenon in pulsar B0943+10 at 430 and 111 MHz. This study has led to the identification of a stable system of sub-beams circulating around the magnetic axis of this star. Here, we present a single-pulse analysis of our observations of this pulsar at 35 MHz. The fluctuation properties seen at this low frequency, as well as our independent estimates of the number of sub-beams required and their circulation time, agree remarkably well with the reported behaviour at higher frequencies. We use the 'cartographic' transform mapping technique developed by Deshpande & Rankin in Paper I to study the emission pattern in the polar region of this pulsar. The significance of our results in the context of radio emission mechanisms is also discussed.     

候选射电脉冲星的预测

对已知脉冲星大样本的统计和分析表明,绝大多数脉冲星的线偏振大于１０％,谱指数低于－１．比较了脉冲星和射电类星体及致密陡谱源的频谱和偏振特性的差别,以高线偏振、高谱指数、高银纬及在低频下较低流量等作为射电脉冲星候选者的判据,从新近释放的ＶＬＡ巡天和ＷＳＲＴ巡天结果中挑选出一个较粗的候选脉冲星样本．进一步考虑近期在部分天区中已作过高灵敏度的脉冲星巡天,所有落入这些天区内的候选源也都从本样本中排出．以候选源偏振度大小为序,给出了一个共４７颗候选源的子样本．     

Determination of linear polarization and faraday rotation of pulsar signals from spectral intensity modulation

Most of the known pulsars are sources of highly linearly polarized radiation. Faraday rotation in the intervening medium rotates the plane of the linear polarization as the signals propagate through the medium. The Rotation Measure (RM), which quantifies the amount of such rotation as a function of wavelength, is useful in studying the properties of the medium and in recovering the intrinsic polarization characteristics of the pulsar signal. Conventional methods for polarization measurements use telescopes equipped with dual orthogonally polarized feeds that allow estimation of all 4 Stokes parameters. Some telescopes (such as the Ooty Radio Telescope) that offer high sensitivity for pulsar observations may however be receptive to only a single linear polarization. In such a case, the apparent spectral intensity modulation, resulting from differential Faraday rotation of the linearly polarized signal component within the observing bandwidth, can be exploited to estimate the RM as well as to study the linear polarization properties of the source. In this paper, we present two improved procedures by which these observables can be estimated reliably from the intensity modulation over large bandwidths, particularly at low radio frequencies. We also highlight some other applications where such measurements and procedures would be useful.     

Gamma-ray pulsars: the pulse profiles and phase-resolved spectra of Geminga

We present a calculation of a three-dimensional pulsar magnetosphere model to explain high-energy emission from the Geminga pulsar with a thick outer gap. High-energy γ -rays are produced by primary accelerated particles with a power-law energy distribution through curvature radiation inside the outer gap. We also calculate the emission pattern, pulse profile and phase-resolved spectra of high-energy γ -rays of the Geminga pulsar, and find that its pulse profile is consistent with the observed one if the magnetic inclination and viewing angle are ∼50° and ∼86° respectively. We describe the relative phases among soft (thermal) X-rays, hard (non-thermal) X-rays, and γ -rays. Our results indicate that X-ray and γ -ray emission from the Geminga pulsar may be explained by the single thick outer gap model. Finally, we discuss the implications of the radio and optical emission of the Geminga pulsar.     

Giant radio pulses from the millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21 at 327 MHz

Seven giant radio pulses were recorded from the millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21 during ≈8.1 min observation by the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT) at 326.5 MHz. Although sparse, these observations support most of the giant pulse behaviour reported at higher radio frequencies (430 to 2380 MHz). Within the main component of the integrated profile, they are emitted only in a narrow (≲47 μs) window of pulse phase, close to its peak. This has important implications for doing super-high precision timing of PSR B1937+21 at low radio frequencies.     

Polarization of the Crab Nebula with disordered magnetic components

In this paper, we present an expanding disc model to derive the polarization properties of the Crab nebula. The distribution function of the plasma and the energy density of the magnetic field are prescribed as functions of the distance from the pulsar using the model derived by Kennel and Coroniti with  σ= 0.003  , where σ is the ratio of the Poynting flux to the kinetic energy flux in the bulk motion just before the termination shock. Unlike the case for previous models, we introduce a disordered magnetic field, which is parametrized by the fractional energy density of the disordered component. The flow dynamics are not solved, and the mean field is toroidal.
The averaged degree of polarization over the disc is obtained as a function of the inclination angle and fractional energy density of the disordered magnetic field. It is found for the Crab Nebula that the disordered component contains about 60 per cent of the magnetic field energy. This value is supported by the facts that the disc appears not as 'lip-shaped' but as 'rings' in the observed intensity map, and that the highest degree of polarization of ∼40 per cent is reproduced for rings, which is consistent with the observations.
We suggest that, because the disordered field contributes to the pressure rather than to the tension, the pinch force may have been overestimated in previous relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations. The disruption of the oppositely directed magnetic fields, which is proposed by Lyuvarsky, may actually take place. The relativistic flow speed, which is indicated by the front–back contrast, can be detected in the asymmetry of distributions of the position angle and depolarization.     

The possible role of r-modes in post-glitch relaxation of the Crab pulsar

The loss of angular momentum through gravitational radiation, driven by the excitation of r-modes, is considered for neutron stars that have rotation frequencies lower than the associated critical frequency. We find that for reasonable values of the initial amplitudes of such pulsation modes of the star, being excited at the event of a glitch in a pulsar, the total post-glitch losses correspond to a negligible fraction of the initial rise of the spin frequency in the case of Vela and older pulsars. However, for the Crab pulsar the same effect would result, within a few months, in a decrease in its spin frequency by an amount larger than its glitch-induced frequency increase. This could provide an explanation for the peculiar behaviour observed in the post-glitch relaxations of the Crab pulsar.     

Statistics of the individual-pulse polarization based on propagation effects in the pulsar magnetosphere

Pulsar radio emission is modelled as a sum of two completely polarized non-orthogonal modes with the randomly varying Stokes parameters and intensity ratio. The modes are the result of polarization evolution of the original natural waves in the hot, magnetized, weakly inhomogeneous plasma of the pulsar magnetosphere. In the course of the wavemode coupling, the linearly polarized natural waves acquire purely orthogonal elliptical polarizations. Further on, as the waves pass through the cyclotron resonance, they become non-orthogonal. The pulse-to-pulse fluctuations of the final polarization characteristics and the intensity ratio of the modes are attributed to the temporal fluctuations in the plasma flow.
The model suggested allows one to reproduce the basic features of the one-dimensional distributions of the individual-pulse polarization characteristics. Besides that, the propagation origin of the pulsar polarization implies a certain correlation between the mode ellipticity and position angle. On a qualitative level, for different sets of parameters, the expected correlations appear compatible with the observed ones. Further theoretical studies are necessary to establish the quantitative correspondence of the model to the observational results and to develop a technique of diagnostics of the pulsar plasma on this basis.     

Wisps and knots in the central Crab nebula

The fast-spinning Crab pulsar (∼30 turn s⁻¹), which powers the massive expansion and synchrotron emission of the entire Crab nebula, is surrounded by quasi-stationary features such as fibrous arc-like wisps and bright polar knots in the radial range of 2×10¹⁶≲ r ≲2×10¹⁷ cm, as revealed by high-resolution (∼0.1 arcsec) images from the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on board the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ). The spin-down energy flux (∼5×10³⁸ erg s⁻¹) from the pulsar to the luminous outer nebula, which occupies the radial range 0.1≲ r ≲2 pc, is generally believed to be transported by a magnetized relativistic outflow of an electron–positron e^± pair plasma. It is then puzzling that mysterious structures like wisps and knots, although intrinsically dynamic in synchrotron emission, remain quasi-stationary on time-scales of a few days to a week in the relativistic pulsar wind. Here we demonstrate that, as a result of slightly inhomogeneous wind streams emanating from the rotating pulsar, fast magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shock waves are expected to appear in the pulsar wind at relevant radial distances in the forms of wisps and knots. While forward fast MHD shocks move outward with a speed close to the speed of light c , reverse fast MHD shocks may appear quasi-stationary in space under appropriate conditions. In addition, Alfvénic fluctuations in the shocked magnetized pulsar wind can effectively scatter synchrotron beams from gyrating relativistic electrons and positrons.