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.     

Spatially resolved STIS spectra of the gravitationally lensed broad absorption line quasar APM08279+5255: the nature of component C and evidence for microlensing

PSR J1806−2125 is a pulsar discovered in the Parkes multibeam pulsar survey with a rotational period of 0.4 s and a characteristic age of 65 kyr. Between MJDs 51462 and 51894 this pulsar underwent an increase in rotational frequency of  Δ ν / ν ≈16×10^-6  . The magnitude of this glitch is ∼2.5 times greater than any previously observed in any pulsar and 16 times greater than the mean glitch size. This Letter gives the parameters of the glitch and compares its properties with those of previously observed events. The existence of such large and rare glitches offers new hope for attempts to observe thermal X-ray emission from the internal heat released following a glitch, and suggests that pulsars which previously have not been observed to glitch may do so on long time-scales .     

Braking PSR J1734-3333 with a possible fall-back disk

The very small braking index of PSR J1734-3333, n = 0.9 ± 0.2, chal- lenges the current theories of braking mechanisms in pulsars. We present a possible interpretation that this pulsar is surrounded by a fall-hack disk and braked by it. A modified braking torque is proposed based on the competition between the magnetic energy density of the pulsar and the kinetic energy density of the fall-back disk. With this torque, a self-similar disk can fit all the observed parameters of PSR J1734-3333 with natural initial values of parameters. In this regime, the star will evolve to the re- gion having anomalous X-ray pulsars and soft gamma repeaters in the P -/5 diagram in about 20 000 years and stay there for a very long time. The mass of the disk around PSR J1734-3333 in our model is about 10M similar to the observed mass of the disk around AXP 4U 0142＋61.     

基于"PSR+RS"模式的菩提岛整治修复前后生态系统健康评价

海岛生态系统是海洋生态系统的重要组成部分。近年来,随着海岛人为活动数量不断增加,加速了对海岛生态环境的破坏,一些海岛生态失衡严重,生态系统受损加剧。而对受损海岛生态系统开展人工参与下的主动式生态恢复,是目前较为主流的恢复方法和手段,菩提岛整治修复项目正是基于上述修复理念开展并完成的。本文以菩提岛海岛及周边海域为研究区域,基于PSR模型,以RS方式为主要指标获取方式,构建了适用于我国海岛整治修复模式下的海岛生态系统健康评价体系,对其整治修复前后生态系统健康状况开展评价分析。结果显示:2008年,该岛生态系统健康值IEI为0.374 0,生态系统较脆弱,整体状况较差,亟须开展保护与修复工作;2014年,经岛体修复并趋于稳定状态后,该岛生态系统健康值IEI提升至0.673 8,生态系统较健康,处于稳定状态,但仍具有上升空间。经整治修复前后纵向对比,生态系统健康波动值ΔIEI为0.299 8,表明该岛生态系统经过修复后已有所好转。     

Probing pulsar winds using inverse Compton scattering

We investigate the effects of inverse Compton scattering by electrons and positrons in the unshocked winds of rotationally-powered binary pulsars. This process can scatter low energy target photons to produce gamma rays with energies from MeV to TeV. The binary radio pulsars PSR B1259−63 and PSR J0045−73 are both in close eccentric orbits around bright main sequence stars which provide a huge density of low energy target photons. The inverse Compton scattering process transfers momentum from the pulsar wind to the scattered photons, and therefore provides a drag which tends to decelerate the pulsar wind. We present detailed calculations of the dynamics of a pulsar wind which is undergoing inverse Compton scattering, showing that the deceleration of the wind of PSR B1259−63 due to ‘inverse Compton drag' is small, but that this process may confine the wind of PSR J0045−73 before it attains pressure balance with the outflow of its companion star. We calculate the spectra and light curves of the resulting inverse Compton emission from PSR B1259−63 and show that if the size of the pulsar wind nebula is comparable to the binary separation, then the γ-ray emission from the unshocked wind may be detectable by atmospheric Cherenkov detectors or by the new generation of satellite-borne γ-ray detectors such as INTEGRAL and GLAST. This mechanism may therefore provide a direct probe of the freely-expanding regions of pulsar winds, previously thought to be invisible.     

Timing models for the long orbital period binary pulsar PSR B1259–63

The pulsar PSR B1259–63 is in a highly eccentric 3.4-yr orbit with the Be star SS 2883. Timing observations of this pulsar, made over a 7-yr period using the Parkes 64-m radio telescope, cover two periastron passages, in 1990 August and 1994 January. The timing data cannot be fitted by the normal pulsar and Keplerian binary parameters. A timing solution including a (non-precessing) Keplerian orbit and timing noise (represented as a polynomial of fifth order in time) provides a satisfactory fit to the data. However, because the Be star probably has a significant quadrupole moment, we prefer to interpret the data by a combination of timing noise, dominated by a cubic phase term, and ω^. and x ^. terms. We show that the ω^. and x ^. terms are likely to be a result of a precessing orbit caused by the quadrupole moment of the tilted companion star. We further rule out a number of possible physical effects which could contribute to the timing data of PSR B1259–63 on a measurable level.     

Slow glitches in the pulsar B1822-09

The pulsar B1822-09 (J1825-0935) experienced a series of five unusual, slow glitches over the 1995–2004 interval. The results of further study of this unusual glitch phenomenon are presented. It is also reported the detection a new glitch of typical signature that occurred in the pulsar period in 2006 January.      

基于新型城镇化视角的区域PRED系统综合评价——以大连为例

基于中国在推进以“人”为核心的新型城镇化过程中人口、资源、环境与经济、社会发展诸要素相互促进或相互制约的复杂关系视角,借鉴人口承载力思想,提出区域PRED系统承载力概念及其表征方法,参考压力—状态—响应模型（PSR）,构建了区域PRED系统的承载力—压力—状态—响应评价指标体系（CPSR 模型）,在此基础上提出区域PRED系统综合响应度与应急响应级别划分标准,通过多目标规划与决策方法对区域PRED系统进行综合评价。以2000-2012 年大连市PRED系统为例进行实证分析,结果显示：① 研究时段内大连市PRED系统一直处于超载状态,人口承载力由363 万人降至291 万人;② 大连市PRED系统压力低于全国平均水平,区域PRED系统负荷指数由0.97 降至0.85,区域PRED系统综合响应级别始终处于Ⅱ级橙色预警或Ⅲ级黄色预警状态。评价结果基本符合近年来大连市有关资源、环境及经济、社会发展的客观实际,评价结果可视性较强、可靠性较高。区域PRED系统承载力概念以及基于CPSR模型的区域PRED系统综合评价指标体系、多目标决策评价方法,为定量评价区域可持续发展提供了一种新的思路和方法,对新型城镇化背景下的相关政策制定具有一定参考价值。