Polarization observations of 66 southern pulsars

Mean pulse profiles and polarization parameters at 435, 660 or 1500 MHz obtained using the ATNF Parkes radio telescope are presented for 66 southern pulsars. About half of these pulsars were discovered in the Parkes southern pulsar survey and most have no previously published polarization parameters. Where possible, beam impact parameters and inclination angles are computed assuming a circular beam geometry and the rotating-vector model. Implications of the results for models of the pulse emission mechanism are briefly discussed.     

The Swinburne intermediate-latitude pulsar survey

We have conducted a survey of intermediate Galactic latitudes using the 13-beam 21-cm multibeam receiver of the Parkes 64-m radio telescope. The survey covered the region enclosed by 5°<| b |<15° and −100°< l <50° with 4702 processed pointings of 265 s each, for a total of 14.5 d of integration time. 13 2×96‐channel filterbanks provided 288 MHz of bandwidth at a centre frequency of 1374 MHz, one-bit sampled every 125 μs and incurring ∼ DM/13.4 cm⁻³ pc samples of dispersion smearing. The system was sensitive to slow and most millisecond pulsars in the region with flux densities greater than approximately 0.3–1.1 mJy . Offline analysis on the 64-node Swinburne workstation cluster resulted in the detection of 170 pulsars of which 69 were new discoveries. Eight of the new pulsars, by virtue of their small spin periods and period derivatives, may be recycled and have been reported elsewhere. The slow pulsars discovered are typical of those already known in the volume searched, being of intermediate to old age. Several pulsars experience pulse nulling and two display very regular drifting subpulses. We discuss the new discoveries and provide timing parameters for the 48 slow pulsars for which we have a phase-connected solution.     

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.     

Multifrequency integrated profiles of pulsars

We have observed a total of 67 pulsars at five frequencies ranging from 243 to 3100 MHz. Observations at the lower frequencies were made at the Giant Metre-Wave Telescope in India and those at higher frequencies at the Parkes Telescope in Australia. We present profiles from 34 of the sample with the best signal-to-noise ratio and the least scattering. The general 'rules' of pulsar profiles are seen in the data; profiles get narrower, the polarization fraction declines and outer components become more prominent as the frequency increases. Many counterexamples to these rules are also observed, and pulsars with complex profiles are especially prone to rule breaking. We hypothesize that the location of pulsar emission within the magnetosphere evolves with time as the pulsar spins down. In highly energetic pulsars, the emission comes from a confined range of high altitudes, in the middle range of spin down energies the emission occurs over a wide range of altitudes whereas in pulsars with low spin-down energies it is confined to low down in the magnetosphere.     

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.     

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.     

Circular Polarization in Pulsar Integrated Profiles： Updates

We update the systematic studies of circular polarization in integrated pulse profiles by Han et al. Data of circular polarization profiles are compiled. Sense reversals can occur in core or cone components, or near the intersection between components. The correlation between the sense of circular polarization and the sense of position angle variation for conal-double pulsars is confirmed with a much large database. Circular polarization of some pulsars has clear changes with frequency. Circular polarization of millisecond pulsars is marginally different from that of normal pulsars.     

Research on Ensemble Pulsar Time Based on Observed Data

The applications of pulsar timing to several important aspects are introduced and a skeletal definition of the pulsar time scale is given. By taking advantage of the observational timing data of millisecond pulsars obtained at the Parkes Astronomical Observatory, Australia, the ensemble pulsar time based on 4 millisecond pulsars is built up, the comparison of its stability σz, with that of the atomic time is made, and finally a few of important factors which affect the ensemble pulsar time, as well as their influences on the pulsar timing accuracy and application are analyzed.     

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.     

Contribution to diffuse gamma-rays in the Galactic Centre region from unresolved millisecond pulsars

Diffuse gamma-rays in the Galactic Centre region have been studied. We propose that there exists a population of millisecond pulsars in the Galactic Centre, which emit GeV gamma-rays through synchrotron-curvature radiation as predicted by outer gap models. These GeV gamma-rays from unresolved millisecond pulsars probably contribute to the diffuse gamma-ray spectrum detected by EGRET which displays a break at a few GeV. We have used a Monte Carlo method to obtain simulated samples of millisecond pulsars in the Galactic Centre region covered by EGRET  (∼ 15)  according to the different period and magnetic field distributions from observed millisecond pulsars in the Galactic field and globular clusters, and superposed their synchrotron-curvature spectra to derive the total GeV flux. Our simulated results suggest that there probably exist about 6000 unresolved millisecond pulsars in the region of angular resolution of EGRET, the emissions of which could contribute significantly to the observed diffuse gamma-rays in the Galactic Centre.     

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.     

基于实测数据的综合脉冲星时研究

介绍了脉冲星计时在几个重要方面的应用,给出了脉冲星时间尺度的简要定义.基于澳大利亚PARKES天文台的毫秒脉冲星实测计时数据,建立了基于4颗毫秒脉冲星的综合脉冲星时,并将其稳定度σz与原子时进行比较,最后分析了影响综合脉冲星时的几个重要因素及其对脉冲星计时精度的影响与应用.     

The Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey: PSR J1811−1736, a pulsar in a highly eccentric binary system

We are undertaking a high-frequency survey of the Galactic plane for radio pulsars, using the 13-element multibeam receiver on the 64-m Parkes radio telescope. We describe briefly the survey system and some of the initial results. PSR J1811−1736, one of the first pulsars discovered with this system, has a rotation period of 104 ms. Subsequent timing observations using the 76-m radio telescope at Jodrell Bank show that it is in an 18.8-d, highly eccentric binary orbit. We have measured the rate of advance of periastron which indicates a total system mass of 2.6±0.9 M_⊙, and the minimum companion mass is about 0.7 M_⊙. This, the high orbital eccentricity and the recycled nature of the pulsar suggest that this system is composed of two neutron stars, only the fourth or fifth such system known in the disc of the Galaxy.     

The parkes multibeam pulsar survey and interstellar scattering

The Parkes multibeam pulsar survey is a major survey for pulsars lying within a 10^°-wide strip along the southern Galactic plane, using the multibeam receiver on the Parkes 64-m radiotelescope. It is an international collaboration between groups at Jodrell Bank Observatory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bologna Astronomical Observatory and the ATNF. The survey commenced in 1997 August, and has so far succeeded in finding more than 550 previously unknown pulsars. Many of these are distant, with some beyond the centre of the Galaxy according to current models of the interstellar electron density distribution. Interstellar scattering affects the pulse profile of many of the more distant pulsars even at 1374 MHz, the centre frequency of the survey. Preliminary results from the survey are presented. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The population of binary and millisecond pulsars

Recent searches for millisecond and binary pulsars are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the nearly complete Parkes southern survey. Correlations between several of the major parameters of these systems are discussed.     

Discovery of three new pulsars in a 610-MHz pulsar survey with the GMRT

We report on the discovery of three new pulsars in the first blind survey of the north Galactic plane  (45° < l < 135°; | b | < 1°)  with the Giant Meterwave Radio telescope (GMRT) at an intermediate frequency of 610 MHz. The survey covered 106 deg² with a sensitivity of roughly 1 mJy to long-period pulsars (pulsars with period longer than 1 s). The three new pulsars have periods of 318, 933 and 1056 ms. Their timing parameters and flux densities, obtained in follow-up observations with the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank and the GMRT, are presented. We also report on pulse nulling behaviour in one of the newly discovered pulsars, PSR J2208+5500.     

Arecibo observations of Parkes multibeam pulsars

The on-going Parkes multibeam survey has been astoundingly successful (Manchesteret al. 2001), and its discovery of over 600 pulsars has opened up new avenues for probing the Galaxy’s electron content and magnetic field. Here we report on recent observations made with the Arecibo 305-m telescope, where 80 distant, high dispersion measure pulsars (of which 35 are from the multibeam survey) were studied at multiple frequency bands in the range 0.4–2.4 GHz, in order to determine their scattering properties, rotation measures and spectral indices. The results will be used to meet a variety of science goals; viz., creating an improved model of the electron density, mapping out the Galactic magnetic field, and modeling the pulsar population.     

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.     

Pulsar observations at 34.5 MHz using the Gauribidanur Telescope: I

The behaviour of pulsars at low radio-frequencies (below ≈ 50 MHz) remains poorly understood mainly due to very limited observational data on pulsars at these frequencies. We report here our measurements of pulse profiles at 34.5 MHz of 8 pulsars using the Gauribidanur Radio Telescope. None of the 8 pulsars show any significant interpulse emission at this frequency which conflicts with an earlier claim from 25 MHz observations. With the exception of one pulsar (PSR 0943 + 10) all the observed pulsars show turnovers at frequencies above 35 MHz in their spectra. We also report our attempts to study the short and long term variations in the pulsar signals at this low frequency.     

Detecting the errors in solar system ephemeris by pulsar timing

Pulsar timing uses planetary ephemerides to convert the measured pulse arrival time at an observatory to the arrival time at the Solar System barycenter(SSB). Since these planetary ephemerides cannot be perfect, a method of detecting the associated errors based on a pulsar timing array is developed. By using observations made by an array of 18 millisecond pulsars from the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array, we estimated the vector uncertainty from the Earth to the SSB of JPL DE421, which reflects the offset of the ephemeris origin with respect to the ideal SSB, in different piecewise intervals of pulsar timing data, and found consistent results. To investigate the stability and reliability of our method, we divided all the pulsars into two groups. Both groups yield largely consistent results, and the uncertainty of the Earth-SSB vector is several hundred meters, which is consistent with the accuracy of JPL DE421. As an improvement in the observational accuracy, pulsar timing will be helpful to improve the solar system ephemeris in the future.