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.     

Type III Bursts Associated with Millisecond Spikes Which Occurred Within the Frequency Range from 230 to 300 MHz

The metric spectral data obtained at the Yunnan Observatory from July 1990 to December 1991 are analysed and some type III bursts associated with millisecond spikes are found. Their different morphologies reveal the relation between the type III bursts and the millisecond spikes. Based on the occurrence time and the characteristics of continuity and changes of the morphologies in the spikes and the type III bursts of two typical events, we verify that the acceleration region of the coronal electrons is located above the emitting region of the millisecond spikes and the type III bursts. The observations show that the interface frequency of a pair of type III bursts lies near 250 MHz. Finally the authors attempt to explain qualitatively the generating mechanism of the metric millisecond spike-type III bursts by means of the plasma hypothesis.     

太阳微波爆发中精细结构的统计研究

本文总结了北京天文台1991年的2840MHz波段微波爆发中精细结构（FS）事件的观测．从FS的时间标度、强度、共生的微波爆发的峰值流量、FS发生在微波爆发的相位和FS与Hα耀斑的关系等方面作了统计分析．发现约67％以上的FS其持续时间为几十毫秒到几百毫秒，85％以上的FS幅度小于200sfu．讨论了FS的时标、强度及22周太阳峰年期与21周FS出现率的差别．     

A data analysis approach for detecting gravitational waves from PSR 0437–4715

A search for gravitational waves from the millisecond pulsar PSR 0437-4715 has been initiated using the bar detector NIOBE which is located at the University of Western Australia. We present a detailed report on the data analysis algorithm, called phase plane rotation , which will be used in this search. A discussion of the actual implementation of the algorithm is presented. The data analysis algorithm mentioned above has the advantage that it requires minimal changes to the already-existing data acquisition facility of NIOBE but, at the same time, it is as efficient as optimal filtering in detecting a signal. This search involves a very long coherent integration of the bar output which may stretch over a few years. With some planned improvements in the detector, a three-year integration should be able to put an upper limit of h  ∼ 10⁻²⁶ on the signal amplitude.     

Search for the sources of cosmic rays with energies above 10<Superscript>20</Superscript> eV

The sources of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs, E >10¹⁸ eV) are still unknown, mainly due to the loss of the direction to the source after the deflection of cosmic rays’ (CRs) trajectories in the galactic and extragalactic magnetic fields. With the increase in CR energy (rigidity), the influence of the magnetic field weakens; therefore, the most promising approach is to search for the sources of events with the highest energy. In our work, we expand the existing UHECR (E > 10²⁰ eV) sample from 33 to 42 events by calibrating the AUGER events. The sample is characterized by the presence of an event triplet in a circle of radius 3°. The highest-energy event is still the shower (E = 3.2 × 10²⁰ eV) detected with the Fly’s Eye fluorescent detector (FE-event) in 1993. The possible sources of the triplet and the FE-event are analyzed. Taking into account the deflection of CR trajectories in the extragalactic and galactic magnetic fields, it is shown that transient sources of the FE-event and the triplet may be galaxies with active star formation, where CRs are accelerated by newborn millisecond pulsars. Among the galactic sources, the potential candidates are young pulsars that might have had millisecond periods at birth and giant magnetar flares.     

Low-frequency flux-density measurements and spectral features of millisecond pulsars

Radio flux-density measurements for a large sample of millisecond pulsars at a low frequency of 102 MHz are presented. Using higher frequency measurements, we construct their spectra in the frequency range from 102 MHz to 4.8 GHz, the widest one studied to date. The spectra of millisecond and normal pulsars have been found to differ. The spectra of millisecond pulsars have no low-frequency turnover typical of normal pulsars. The absence of a low-frequency turnover in the spectrum suggests that the emitting regions of millisecond and normal pulsars differ in geometry, which we interpret by deviation of the magnetic field from a dipole one or by compactness of the emitting region.     

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.     

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.     

脉冲星时稳定度及可能应用

给出了毫秒脉冲星长期计时观测最新结果和脉冲星时与原子时频率稳定度的比较。指出脉冲星时频率稳定度的提高受到计时观测误差的限制,讨论了提高毫秒脉冲星计时观测精度的方法。随着脉冲星计时阵的实施,脉冲星时的应用已为期不远。可能的应用包括毫秒脉冲星与原子钟结合守时、建立综合脉冲星时和用脉冲星计时阵检测原子时误差等方面。     

Spin-down of millisecond pulsars owing to gravitational wave emission

The gravitational radiation from millisecond pulsars owing to glitches in their angular velocity is examined. It is assumed that the energy transferred from interior superfluid regions to the crust of a neutron star is converted into gravitational wave energy by damping oscillations of the matter in the star. The gravitational wave intensity and amplitude are calculated for fourteen millisecond pulsars. Gravitational radiation can explain the observed spin-down of millisecond pulsars and an estimate is given for the magnetic field at which the proposed mechanism predominates in the spin-down of these pulsars. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 479–486 (August 2008).     

脉冲星时间特征和多星计时观测

在评介脉冲星时研究发展趋势的基础上,讨论了基于毫秒脉冲星自转的脉冲星时间的短期特征和长期稳定度,并对影响其稳定度的因素作了初步分析.50m射电望远镜计时观测的目的之一就是综合脉冲星时研究.对于50m望远镜计时观测的选星和由多星观测进行综合脉冲星时研究中的数据分析问题进行了讨论.     

Radio precursors to neutron star binary mergings

We discuss a possible generation of radio bursts preceding final stages of binary neutron star mergings which can be accompanied by short gamma-ray bursts. Detection of such bursts appear to be advantageous in the low-frequency radio band due to a time delay of ten to several hundred seconds required for radio signal to propagate in the ionized intergalactic medium. This delay makes it possible to use short gamma-ray burst alerts to promptly monitor specific regions on the sky by low-frequency radio facilities, especially by LOFAR. To estimate the strength of the radio signal, we assume a power-law dependence of the radio luminosity on the total energy release in a magnetically dominated outflow, as found in millisecond pulsars. Based on the planned LOFAR sensitivity at 120 MHz, we estimate that the LOFAR detection rate of such radio transients could be about several events per month from redshifts up to z∼1.3 in the most optimistic scenario. The LOFAR ability to detect such events would crucially depend on exact efficiency of low-frequency radio emission mechanism.     

A model for the millisecond pulsar PSR 1937+214

We suggest a model for the millisecond pulsar 1937+214, according to which the immediate progenitor of the pulsar was a binary consisting of two neutron stars of unequal mass. The heavier neutron star was spun up by the transfer of angular momentum from the orbit, and the lighter neutron star was tidally disrupted, leaving behind a millisecond pulsar.     

Stellar forensics — II. Millisecond pulsar binaries

We use the grid of models described in Paper I to analyse those millisecond pulsar binaries whose secondaries have been studied optically. In particular, we find cooling ages for these binary systems that range from < 1 to ∼ 15 Gyr. Comparison of cooling ages and characteristic spin-down ages allows us to constrain the initial spin periods and spin-up histories for individual systems, showing that at least some millisecond pulsars had sub-Eddington accretion rates and long magnetic field decay times.     

脉冲星参数统计和演化

统计分析了目前发现的几种脉冲星的自转周期和表面磁场以及空间的分布情况,揭示出毫秒脉冲星比普通射电脉冲星、LMXB(低质量X射线双星)比HMXB(高质量X射线双星)的空间分布要更加弥散;孤立毫秒脉冲星自转周期分布的峰值为4.7 ms,而普通脉冲星的相应值为0.6 s,双星中毫秒脉冲星这一值为3.5 ms; FERMI脉冲...     

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.     

Spectral features in gamma-rays expected from millisecond pulsars

In the advent of next generation gamma-ray missions, we present general properties of spectral features of high-energy emission above 1 MeV expected for a class of millisecond, low magnetic field (∼10⁹ G) pulsars. We extend polar-cap model calculations of Rudak & Dyks by including inverse Compton scattering events in an ambient field of thermal X-ray photons and by allowing for two models of particle acceleration. In the range between 1 MeV and a few hundred GeV, the main spectral component is the result of curvature radiation of primary particles. The synchrotron component arising from secondary pairs becomes dominant only below 1 MeV. The slope of the curvature radiation spectrum in the energy range from 100 MeV to 10 GeV strongly depends on the model of longitudinal acceleration, whereas below ∼100 MeV all slopes converge to a unique value of 4/3 (in a ν ℱ _ν convention). The thermal soft X-ray photons, which come either from the polar cap or from the surface, are Compton upscattered to a very high energy domain and form a separate spectral component peaking at ∼1 TeV. We discuss the observability of millisecond pulsars by future high‐energy instruments and present two rankings relevant for GLAST and MAGIC. We point to the pulsar J0437−4715 as a promising candidate for observations.     

Gamma rays from millisecond pulsars

We estimate the contribution of millisecond pulsars to the diffuse gamma-ray background of the Galaxy, and show that a significant fraction of the Galactic background may originate from them. A small number of the unidentified COS-B point sources may, in fact, be millisecond pulsars. It is argued that several hundred millisecond pulsars may be detectable as point sources by the GRO satellite A preliminary version of these results was presented at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Neutron stars, AGNs and Jets, Erice, September 5–17, 1988. On leave from Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, India.     

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.     

Solar microwave bursts recorded at 2.84 GHz with millisecond time resolution

A millisecond recorder for solar observation at 2.84 GHz was put to work in 1981. From April 1981 to September 1982 it recorded 250spike pulse events, which are here listed together with information on the associated solar flares, hard X-ray bursts and radio bursts. In defining these spike events, particular attention has been paid to ensure the reliability of the recorded data. Statistical analysis of the data has given some interesting results. The spike pulses have shorter duration and higher flux density than were previously known, and the basic units of the spike pulse events are single spike pulses crowded together forming separate clusters. Many spike pulses observed are not yet resolved at 1 ms. Fast spike pulse events are closely correlated with complex magnetic field regions, and are often accompanied by hard X-ray bursts and fast drifting radio bursts. Some such events showed no correspondence with the radio bursts at the same frequency, 2.84 GHz, but corresponded to those occurring at dm and short cm wavelengths. Some theoretical investigations of the spike phonomena have been carried out, the details of which will be discussed elsewhere.