Can the known millisecond pulsars help in the detection of intermediate-mass black holes at the centers of globular clusters?

We consider the possibility of detecting intermediate-mass (10³–10⁴ M _⊙) black holes, whose existence at the centers of globular clusters is expected from optical and infrared observations, using precise pulse arrival timing for the millisecond pulsars in globular clusters known to date. For some of these pulsars closest to the cluster centers, we have calculated the expected delay times of pulses as they pass in the gravitational field of the central black hole. The detection of such a time delay by currently available instruments for the known pulsars is shown to be impossible at a black hole mass of 10³ M _⊙ and very problematic at a black hole mass of 10⁴ M _⊙. In addition, the signal delay will have a negligible effect on the pulsar periods and their first derivatives compared to the current accuracy of their measurements.     

Timing characteristics of the hard X-ray emission from bright X-ray pulsars based on INTEGRAL data

We review the results of a timing analysis of the observations for ten bright X-ray pulsars (with fluxes >100 mCrab in the 20–100 keV energy band) that fell within the INTEGRAL field of view from 2003 to 2007. The dependence of the pulse profile on the energy and intrinsic source luminosity has been investigated; particular attention has been paid to searching for changes in the pulse profile near the cyclotron frequency. The dependence of the pulsed fraction for X-ray pulsars on their luminosity and energy band has been studied in detail for the first time.     

Radio wavelength transients: Current and emerging prospects

Known classes of radio wavelength transients range from the nearby stellar flares and radio pulsars to the distant Universe γ‐ray burst afterglows. Hypothesized classes of radio transients include analogs of known objects, e.g., extrasolar planets emitting Jovian‐like radio bursts and giant‐pulse emitting pulsars in other galaxies, to the exotic, prompt emission from γ‐ray bursts, evaporating black holes, and transmitters from other civilizations. A number of instruments and facilities are either under construction or in early observational stages and are slated to become available in the next few years. With a combination of wide fields of view and wavelength agility, the detection and study of radio transients will improve immensely. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

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.     

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.