ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9618-2499
Current Organisation
Western Sydney University
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Stellar Astronomy and Planetary Systems | Astronomical and Space Sciences | General Relativity and Gravitational Waves |
Expanding Knowledge in the Physical Sciences | Expanding Knowledge in Technology
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 14-10-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-12-2020
Abstract: The Parkes telescope has been monitoring 286 radio pulsars approximately monthly since 2007 at an observing frequency of 1.4 GHz. The wide dispersion measure (DM) range of the pulsar s le and the uniformity of the observing procedure make the data set extremely valuable for studies of flux density variability and the interstellar medium (ISM). Here, we present flux density measurements and modulation indices of these pulsars over this period. We derive the structure function from the light curves and discuss the contributions to it from measurement noise, intrinsic variability, and interstellar scintillation. Despite a large scatter, we show that the modulation index is inversely correlated with DM, and can be generally described by a power law with an index of ∼−0.7 covering DMs from ∼10 to 1000 cm−3 pc. We present refractive time-scales and/or lower limits for a group of 42 pulsars. These often have values significantly different from theoretical expectations, indicating the complex nature of the ISM along in idual lines of sight. In particular, local structures and non-Kolmogorov density fluctuations are likely playing important roles in the observed flux density variation of many of these pulsars.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 04-2021
Abstract: We report the discovery of the first new pulsar with the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), PSR J0036−1033, a long-period (0.9 s) nonrecycled pulsar with a dispersion measure (DM) of 23.1 pc cm −3 . It was found after processing only a small fraction (∼1%) of data from an ongoing all-sky pulsar survey. Follow-up observations have been made with the MWA, the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT), and the Parkes 64 m telescopes, spanning a frequency range from ∼150 MHz to 4 GHz. The pulsar is faint, with an estimated flux density ( S ) of ∼1 mJy at 400 MHz and a spectrum , where ν is frequency. The DM-derived distance implies that it is also a low-luminosity source (∼0.1 mJy kpc 2 at 1400 MHz). The analysis of archival MWA observations reveals that the pulsar’s mean flux density varies by up to a factor of ∼5–6 on timescales of several weeks to months. By combining MWA and uGMRT data, the pulsar position was determined to arcsecond precision. We also report on polarization properties detected in the MWA and Parkes bands. The pulsar’s nondetection in previous pulsar and continuum imaging surveys, the observed high variability, and its detection in a small fraction of the survey data searched to date, all hint at a larger population of pulsars that await discovery in the southern hemisphere, with the MWA and the future low-frequency Square Kilometre Array.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 16-01-2021
Abstract: The major programme for observing young, non-recycled pulsars with the Parkes telescope has transitioned from a narrow-band system to an ultra-wide-band system capable of observing between 704 and 4032 MHz. We report here on the initial 2 yr of observations with this receiver. Results include dispersion measure (DM) and Faraday rotation measure (RM) variability with time, determined with higher precision than hitherto, flux density measurements and the discovery of several nulling and mode changing pulsars. PSR J1703−4851 is shown to be one of a small subclass of pulsars that has a weak and a strong mode which alternate rapidly in time. PSR J1114−6100 has the fourth highest |RM| of any known pulsar despite its location far from the Galactic Centre. PSR J1825−1446 shows variations in both DM and RM likely due to its motion behind a foreground supernova remnant.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-09-2022
Abstract: New classes of astronomical objects are often discovered serendipitously. The enormous data volumes produced by recent high-time resolution, radio-telescope surveys imply that efficient algorithms are required for a discovery. Such algorithms are usually tuned to detect specific, known sources. Existing data sets therefore likely contain unknown astronomical sources, which will remain undetected unless algorithms are developed that can detect a more erse range of signals. We present the Single-dish PARKES data sets for finding the uneXpected (SPARKESX), a compilation of real and simulated high-time resolution observations. SPARKESX comprises three mock surveys from the Parkes ‘Murriyang’ radio telescope. A broad selection of simulated and injected expected signals (such as pulsars and fast radio bursts), poorly characterized signals (plausible flare star signatures), and ‘unknown unknowns’ are generated for each survey. The goal of this challenge is to aid in the development of new algorithms that can detect a wide range of source types. We show how successful a typical pipeline based on the standard pulsar search software, presto, is at finding the injected signals. The data set is publicly available at 0.25919/fd4f-0g20 (Yong et al. 2022).
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-10-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41586-021-03878-5
Abstract: The event rate, energy distribution and time-domain behaviour of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) contain essential information regarding their physical nature and central engine, which are as yet unknown
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-02-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 17-09-2014
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 05-11-2018
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 02-2023
Abstract: In 2018 an ultra–wide-bandwidth low-frequency (UWL) receiver was installed on the 64 m Parkes Radio Telescope, enabling observations with an instantaneous frequency coverage from 704 to 4032 MHz. Here we present the analysis of a 3 yr data set of 35 ms pulsars observed with the UWL by the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array, using wide-band timing methods. The two key differences compared to typical narrowband methods are (1) generation of two-dimensional templates accounting for pulse shape evolution with frequency and (2) simultaneous measurements of the pulse time of arrival (TOA) and dispersion measure (DM). This is the first time that wide-band timing has been applied to a uniform data set collected with a single large fractional bandwidth receiver, for which such techniques were originally developed. As a result of our study, we present a set of profile evolution models and new timing solutions, including initial noise analysis. Precision of our TOA and DM measurements is in the range of 0.005–2.08 μ s and (0.043–14.24) × 10 −4 cm −3 pc, respectively, with 94% of the pulsars achieving a median TOA uncertainty of less than 1 μ s.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 13-03-2023
Abstract: We present the timing of the first five millisecond pulsars discovered in the globular cluster Omega Centauri and the discovery of a pulsar with a spin period of 3.68 ms. With a timing baseline of ∼3.5 yr we are able to measure the derivative of the spin frequency ($\\dot{\\nu }$) for the first five pulsars. Upper limits on the pulsar line-of-sight acceleration are estimated and compared with predictions based on analytical models of the cluster. We find that PSRs J1326−4728B and D show large negative accelerations, which are in tension with the minimum acceleration predicted by analytical models. We searched for pulsed γ-ray signals using 14.3 yr of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Although we found no evidence for γ-ray pulsations, PSRs J1326−4728A, B, C, and E are associated with X-ray sources. This suggests that the observed γ-ray emission from Omega Centauri is likely caused by the emission of the ensemble of MSPs. Finally, the linearly polarized emission from PSR J1326−4728A yields a rotation measure of −18 ± 8 rad m−2.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 02-2021
Abstract: Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), we have recorded ∼10 5 single pulses from PSR J1022+1001. We studied the polarization properties, their energy distribution, and their times of arrival. This is only possible with the high sensitivity available using FAST. There is no indication that PSR J1022+1001 exhibits giant pulse, nulling, or traditional mode changing phenomena. The energy in the leading and trailing components of the integrated profile is shown to be correlated. The degree of both linear and circular polarization increases with the pulse flux density for in idual pulses. Our data indicates that pulse jitter leads to an excess noise in the timing residuals of 67 ns when scaled to one hour, which is consistent with Liu et al. We have unsuccessfully trialed various methods to improve timing precision through the selection of specific single pulses. Our work demonstrates that FAST can detect in idual pulses from pulsars that are observed in order to detect and study gravitational waves. This capability enables detailed studies, and parameterization, of the noise processes that affect the sensitivity of a pulsar timing array.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 05-2022
Abstract: We report the discovery of a highly circularly polarized, variable, steep-spectrum pulsar in the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) Variables and Slow Transients (VAST) survey. The pulsar is located about 1° from the center of the Large Magellanic Cloud, and has a significant fractional circular polarization of ∼20%. We discovered pulsations with a period of 322.5 ms, dispersion measure (DM) of 157.5 pc cm −3 , and rotation measure (RM) of +456 rad m −2 using observations from the MeerKAT and the Parkes telescopes. This DM firmly places the source, PSR J0523−7125, in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This RM is extreme compared to other pulsars in the LMC (more than twice that of the largest previously reported one). The average flux density of ∼1 mJy at 1400 MHz and ∼25 mJy at 400 MHz places it among the most luminous radio pulsars known. It likely evaded previous discovery because of its very steep radio spectrum (spectral index α ≈ −3, where S ν ∝ ν α ) and broad pulse profile (duty cycle ≳35%). We discuss implications for searches for unusual radio sources in continuum images, as well as extragalactic pulsars in the Magellanic Clouds and beyond. Our result highlighted the possibility of identifying pulsars, especially extreme pulsars, from radio continuum images. Future large-scale radio surveys will give us an unprecedented opportunity to discover more pulsars and potentially the most distant pulsars beyond the Magellanic Clouds.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 09-01-2020
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 09-2018
DOI: 10.1017/S1743921317008833
Abstract: Radio continuum surveys are equally sensitive to all pulsars, not affected by dispersion measure smearing, scattering or orbital modulation of spin periods, and therefore allow us to search for extreme pulsars, such as sub-millisecond pulsars, pulsar-black hole systems and pulsars in the Galactic Centre. As we move towards the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) era, searching for pulsars in continuum images will complement conventional pulsar searches, and make it possible to find extreme objects.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-10-2019
Abstract: In this paper, we describe the International Pulsar Timing Array second data release, which includes recent pulsar timing data obtained by three regional consortia: the European Pulsar Timing Array, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves, and the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array. We analyse and where possible combine high-precision timing data for 65 millisecond pulsars which are regularly observed by these groups. A basic noise analysis, including the processes which are both correlated and uncorrelated in time, provides noise models and timing ephemerides for the pulsars. We find that the timing precisions of pulsars are generally improved compared to the previous data release, mainly due to the addition of new data in the combination. The main purpose of this work is to create the most up-to-date IPTA data release. These data are publicly available for searches for low-frequency gravitational waves and other pulsar science.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1017/PASA.2022.29
Abstract: As TeV gamma-ray astronomy progresses into the era of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), there is a desire for the capacity to instantaneously follow up on transient phenomena and continuously monitor gamma-ray flux at energies above $10^{12}\\,\\mathrm{eV}$ . To this end, a worldwide network of Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) is required to provide triggers for CTA observations and complementary continuous monitoring. An IACT array sited in Australia would contribute significant coverage of the Southern Hemisphere sky. Here, we investigate the suitability of a small IACT array and how different design factors influence its performance. Monte Carlo simulations were produced based on the Small-Sized Telescope (SST) and Medium-Sized Telescope (MST) designs from CTA. Angular resolution improved with larger baseline distances up to 277 m between telescopes, and energy thresholds were lower at 1 000 m altitude than at 0 m. The ${\\sim} 300\\,\\mathrm{GeV}$ energy threshold of MSTs proved more suitable for observing transients than the ${\\sim}1.2\\,\\mathrm{TeV}$ threshold of SSTs. An array of four MSTs at 1 000 m was estimated to give a 5.7 $\\sigma$ detection of an RS Ophiuchi-like nova eruption from a 4-h observation. We conclude that an array of four MST-class IACTs at an Australian site would ideally complement the capabilities of CTA.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 24-12-2017
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 23-08-2023
Abstract: We report on multiwavelength target-of-opportunity observations of the blazar PKS 0735+178, located 2.°2 away from the best-fit position of the IceCube neutrino event IceCube-211208A detected on 2021 December 8. The source was in a high-flux state in the optical, ultraviolet, X-ray, and GeV γ -ray bands around the time of the neutrino event, exhibiting daily variability in the soft X-ray flux. The X-ray data from Swift-XRT and NuSTAR characterize the transition between the low-energy and high-energy components of the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED), and the γ -ray data from Fermi-LAT, VERITAS, and H.E.S.S. require a spectral cutoff near 100 GeV. Both the X-ray and γ -ray measurements provide strong constraints on the leptonic and hadronic models. We analytically explore a synchrotron self-Compton model, an external Compton model, and a lepto-hadronic model. Models that are entirely based on internal photon fields face serious difficulties in matching the observed SED. The existence of an external photon field in the source would instead explain the observed γ -ray spectral cutoff in both the leptonic and lepto-hadronic models and allow a proton jet power that marginally agrees with the Eddington limit in the lepto-hadronic model. We show a numerical lepto-hadronic model with external target photons that reproduces the observed SED and is reasonably consistent with the neutrino event despite requiring a high jet power.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 12-05-2023
Abstract: Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief, intense flashes of radio waves from unidentified extragalactic sources. Polarized FRBs originate in highly magnetized environments. We report observations of the repeating FRB 20190520B spanning 17 months, which show that the FRB’s Faraday rotation is highly variable and twice changes sign. The FRB also depolarizes below radio frequencies of about 1 to 3 gigahertz. We interpret these properties as being due to changes in the parallel component of the magnetic field integrated along the line of sight, including reversing direction of the field. This could result from propagation through a turbulent magnetized screen of plasma, located 10 –5 to 100 parsecs from the FRB source. This is consistent with the bursts passing through the stellar wind of a binary companion of the FRB source.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 29-06-2023
Abstract: Pulsar timing arrays aim to detect nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves (GWs). A background of GWs modulates pulsar arrival times and manifests as a stochastic process, common to all pulsars, with a signature spatial correlation. Here we describe a search for an isotropic stochastic gravitational-wave background (GWB) using observations of 30 millisecond pulsars from the third data release of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA), which spans 18 yr. Using current Bayesian inference techniques we recover and characterize a common-spectrum noise process. Represented as a strain spectrum h c = A ( f / 1 yr − 1 ) α , we measure A = 3.1 − 0.9 + 1.3 × 10 − 15 and α = −0.45 ± 0.20, respectively (median and 68% credible interval). For a spectral index of α = −2/3, corresponding to an isotropic background of GWs radiated by inspiraling supermassive black hole binaries, we recover an litude of A = 2.04 − 0.22 + 0.25 × 10 − 15 . However, we demonstrate that the apparent signal strength is time-dependent, as the first half of our data set can be used to place an upper limit on A that is in tension with the inferred common-spectrum litude using the complete data set. We search for spatial correlations in the observations by hierarchically analyzing in idual pulsar pairs, which also allows for significance validation through randomizing pulsar positions on the sky. For a process with α = −2/3, we measure spatial correlations consistent with a GWB, with an estimated false-alarm probability of p ≲ 0.02 (approx. 2 σ ). The long timing baselines of the PPTA and the access to southern pulsars will continue to play an important role in the International Pulsar Timing Array.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 14-07-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-06-2011
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 18-03-2022
Abstract: The polarization of fast radio bursts (FRBs), which are bright astronomical transient phenomena, contains information about their environments. Using wide-band observations with two telescopes, we report polarization measurements of five repeating FRBs and find a trend of lower polarization at lower frequencies. This behavior is modeled as multipath scattering, characterized by a single parameter, σ RM , the rotation measure (RM) scatter. Sources with higher σ RM have higher RM magnitude and scattering time scales. The two sources with the highest σ RM , FRB 20121102A and FRB 20190520B, are associated with compact persistent radio sources. These properties indicate a complex environment near the repeating FRBs, such as a supernova remnant or a pulsar wind nebula, consistent with their having arisen from young stellar populations.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 25-07-2018
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 31-03-2015
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 20-05-2019
Abstract: We describe PSR J1926−0652, a pulsar recently discovered with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). Using sensitive single-pulse detections from FAST and long-term timing observations from the Parkes 64 m radio telescope, we probed phenomena on both long and short timescales. The FAST observations covered a wide frequency range from 270 to 800 MHz, enabling in idual pulses to be studied in detail. The pulsar exhibits at least four profile components, short-term nulling lasting from 4 to 450 pulses, complex subpulse drifting behaviors and intermittency on scales of tens of minutes. While the average band spacing P 3 is relatively constant across different bursts and components, significant variations in the separation of adjacent bands are seen, especially near the beginning and end of a burst. Band shapes and slopes are quite variable, especially for the trailing components and for the shorter bursts. We show that for each burst the last detectable pulse prior to emission ceasing has different properties compared to other pulses. These complexities pose challenges for the classic carousel-type models.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1017/PASA.2020.11
Abstract: We describe 14 yr of public data from the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA), an ongoing project that is producing precise measurements of pulse times of arrival from 26 millisecond pulsars using the 64-m Parkes radio telescope with a cadence of approximately 3 weeks in three observing bands. A comprehensive description of the pulsar observing systems employed at the telescope since 2004 is provided, including the calibration methodology and an analysis of the stability of system components. We attempt to provide full accounting of the reduction from the raw measured Stokes parameters to pulse times of arrival to aid third parties in reproducing our results. This conversion is encapsulated in a processing pipeline designed to track provenance. Our data products include pulse times of arrival for each of the pulsars along with an initial set of pulsar parameters and noise models. The calibrated pulse profiles and timing template profiles are also available. These data represent almost 21 000 h of recorded data spanning over 14 yr. After accounting for processes that induce time-correlated noise, 22 of the pulsars have weighted root-mean-square timing residuals of $ \\!\\!1\\,\\mu\\text{s}$ in at least one radio band. The data should allow end users to quickly undertake their own gravitational wave analyses, for ex le, without having to understand the intricacies of pulsar polarisation calibration or attain a mastery of radio frequency interference mitigation as is required when analysing raw data files.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 14-06-2018
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 04-2015
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 07-09-2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-03-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 28-06-2019
Abstract: The Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) project monitors two dozen millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in order to undertake a variety of fundamental physics experiments using the Parkes 64-m radio telescope. Since 2017 June, we have been undertaking commensal searches for fast radio bursts (FRBs) during the MSP observations. Here, we report the discovery of four FRBs (171209, 180309, 180311, and 180714). The detected events include an FRB with the highest signal-to-noise ratio ever detected at the Parkes Observatory, which exhibits unusual spectral properties. All four FRBs are highly polarized. We discuss the future of commensal searches for FRBs at Parkes.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 27-03-2019
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 19-09-2014
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-07-2014
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-12-2021
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 07-2022
Abstract: We report the independent discovery of PSR J0026-1955 with the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in the ongoing Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre pulsar survey. J0026-1955 has a period of ∼1.306 s, a dispersion measure of ∼20.869 pc cm −3 , and a nulling fraction of ∼77%. This pulsar highlights the advantages of the survey's long dwell times (∼80 minutes), which, when fully searched, will be sensitive to the expected population of similarly bright, intermittent pulsars with long nulls. A single-pulse analysis in the MWA's 140–170 MHz band also reveals a complex subpulse drifting behavior, including both rapid changes of the drift rate characteristic of mode switching pulsars, as well as a slow, consistent evolution of the drift rate within modes. In some longer drift sequences, interruptions in the otherwise smooth drift rate evolution occur preferentially at a particular phase, typically lasting a few pulses. These properties make this pulsar an ideal test bed for prevailing models of drifting behavior such as the carousel model.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-08-2017
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1017/PASA.2017.20
Abstract: During 2016 February, CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science and the Max-Planck-Institute for Radio Astronomy installed, commissioned, and carried out science observations with a phased array feed receiver system on the 64-m diameter Parkes radio telescope. Here, we demonstrate that the phased array feed can be used for pulsar observations and we highlight some unique capabilities. We demonstrate that the pulse profiles obtained using the phased array feed can be calibrated and that multiple pulsars can be simultaneously observed. Significantly, we find that an intrinsic polarisation leakage of −31 dB can be achieved with a phased array feed beam offset from the centre of the field of view. We discuss the possibilities for using a phased array feed for future pulsar observations and for searching for fast radio bursts with the Parkes and Effelsberg telescopes.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-11-2020
Abstract: Pulsar timing array projects measure the pulse arrival times of millisecond pulsars for the primary purpose of detecting nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves. The measurements include contributions from a number of astrophysical and instrumental processes, which can either be deterministic or stochastic. It is necessary to develop robust statistical and physical models for these noise processes because incorrect models diminish sensitivity and may cause a spurious gravitational wave detection. Here we characterize noise processes for the 26 pulsars in the second data release of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array using Bayesian inference. In addition to well-studied noise sources found previously in pulsar timing array data sets such as achromatic timing noise and dispersion measure variations, we identify new noise sources including time-correlated chromatic noise that we attribute to variations in pulse scattering. We also identify ‘exponential dip’ events in four pulsars, which we attribute to magnetospheric effects as evidenced by pulse profile shape changes observed for three of the pulsars. This includes an event in PSR J1713+0747, which had previously been attributed to interstellar propagation. We present noise models to be used in searches for gravitational waves. We outline a robust methodology to evaluate the performance of noise models and identify unknown signals in the data. The detection of variations in pulse profiles highlights the need to develop efficient profile domain timing methods.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 22-02-2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 10-2018
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-04-2022
Abstract: We present the first measurement of pulse scattering close to the eclipse region of PSR B1957+20, which is in a compact binary system with a low-mass star. We measured pulse scattering time-scales up to 0.2 ms close to the eclipse and showed that it scales with the dispersion measure (DM) excess roughly as τ ∝ ΔDM2. Our observations provide the first evidence of strong scattering due to multipath propagation effects in the eclipsing material. We show that Kolmogorov turbulence in the eclipsing material with an inner scale of ∼100 m and an outer scale of the size of the eclipse region can naturally explain the observation. Our results show that the eclipsing material in such systems can be highly turbulent and suggest that scattering is one of the main eclipsing mechanisms at around 1.4 GHz.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 10-2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2023
DOI: 10.1017/PASA.2023.36
Abstract: We present the third data release from the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) project. The release contains observations of 32 pulsars obtained using the 64-m Parkes “Murriyang” radio telescope. The data span is up to 18 years with a typical cadence of 3 weeks. This data release is formed by combining an updated version of our second data release with ∼ 3 years of more recent data primarily obtained using an ultra-wide-bandwidth receiver system that operates between 704 and 4032 MHz. We provide calibrated pulse profiles, flux-density dynamic spectra, pulse times of arrival, and initial pulsar timing models. We describe methods for processing such wide-bandwidth observations, and compare this data release with our previous release.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1017/PASA.2020.2
Abstract: We describe an ultra-wide-bandwidth, low-frequency receiver recently installed on the Parkes radio telescope. The receiver system provides continuous frequency coverage from 704 to 4032 MHz. For much of the band ( ${\\sim}60\\%$ ), the system temperature is approximately 22 K and the receiver system remains in a linear regime even in the presence of strong mobile phone transmissions. We discuss the scientific and technical aspects of the new receiver, including its astronomical objectives, as well as the feed, receiver, digitiser, and signal processor design. We describe the pipeline routines that form the archive-ready data products and how those data files can be accessed from the archives. The system performance is quantified, including the system noise and linearity, beam shape, antenna efficiency, polarisation calibration, and timing stability.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 08-04-2019
DOI: 10.1093/MNRAS/STZ971
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-11-2014
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 09-2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 07-04-2020
Abstract: It is very computationally expensive to search for pulsars using time-domain observations, and the volume of data will be enormous with next-generation telescopes such as the Square Kilometre Array. We use artificial neural networks (ANNs), a machine learning method, for the efficient selection of pulsar candidates from radio continuum surveys this is much cheaper than using time-domain observations. With observed quantities such as radio fluxes, sky position and compactness as inputs, our ANNs output the ‘score’ that indicates the degree of likeliness that an object is a pulsar. We demonstrate ANNs based on existing survey data by the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR) Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) Sky Survey (TGSS) and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) Very Large Array (VLA) Sky Survey (NVSS) and we test their performance. The precision, which is the ratio of the number of pulsars classified correctly as pulsars to the number of any objects classified as pulsars, is about $96 {{\\ \\rm per\\ cent}}$. Finally, we apply the trained ANNs to unidentified radio sources and our fiducial ANN with five inputs (the galactic longitude and latitude, the TGSS and NVSS fluxes and compactness) generates 2436 pulsar candidates from 456 866 unidentified radio sources. We need to confirm whether these candidates are truly pulsars by using time-domain observations. More information, such as polarization, will narrow the number of candidates down further.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 03-2021
Abstract: We report three new FRBs discovered by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), namely FRB 181017.J0036+11, FRB 181118, and FRB 181130, through the Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey (CRAFTS). Together with FRB 181123, which was reported earlier, all four FAST-discovered FRBs share the same characteristics of low fluence (≤0.2 Jy ms) and high dispersion measure (DM, pc cm −3 ), consistent with the anticorrelation between DM and fluence of the entire FRB population. FRB 181118 and FRB 181130 exhibit band-limited features. FRB 181130 is prominently scattered ( τ s ≃ 8 ms) at 1.25 GHz. FRB 181017.J0036+11 has full-bandwidth emission with a fluence of 0.042 Jy ms, which is one of the faintest FRB sources detected so far. CRAFTS has started to build a new s le of FRBs that fills the region for more distant and fainter FRBs in the fluence–DM E diagram, previously out of reach of other surveys. The implied all-sky event rate of FRBs is 1.24 − 0.90 + 1.94 × 10 5 sky −1 day −1 at the 95% confidence interval above 0.0146 Jy ms. We also demonstrate here that the probability density function of CRAFTS FRB detections is sensitive to the assumed intrinsic FRB luminosity function and cosmological evolution, which may be further constrained with more discoveries.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S10509-022-04086-X
Abstract: We present radio continuum observations of NGC 2082 using ASKAP, ATCA and Parkes telescopes from 888 MHz to 9000 MHz. Some 20 arcsec from the centre of this nearby spiral galaxy, we discovered a bright and compact radio source, J054149.24–641813.7, of unknown origin. To constrain the nature of J054149.24–641813.7, we searched for transient events with the Ultra-Wideband Low Parkes receiver, and compare its luminosity and spectral index to various nearby supernova remnants (SNRs), and fast radio burst (FRB) local environments. Its radio spectral index is flat ( $\\alpha = 0.02 \\pm 0.09$ α = 0.02 ± 0.09 ), which is unlikely to be either an SNR or pulsar. No transient events were detected with the Parkes telescope over three days of observations, and our calculations show J054149.24–641813.7 is two orders of magnitude less luminous than the persistent radio sources associated with FRB 121102 and 190520B. We find that the probability of finding such a source behind NGC 2082 is $P = 1.2\\%$ P = 1.2 % , and conclude that the most likely origin for J054149.24–641813.7 is a background quasar or radio galaxy.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 05-04-2017
DOI: 10.1093/MNRAS/STX837
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 10-2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 15-02-2016
DOI: 10.1093/MNRAS/STW347
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-05-2021
Abstract: In the broad context of the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) early-science phase and preparation for the related surveys, we report the first radio observations towards the Galactic plane. The targeted field was chosen to encompass the entire SCORPIO survey, one of the several pathfinder projects for the Evolutionary Map of the Universe survey planned with the ASKAP. The observations were carried out in 2018 January at a central frequency of 912 MHz, with 15 operational antennas, and covered a total area of about 40 square degrees in three different pointings. The final image has a resolution of 24.1 × 21.1 arcsec2 and a median rms of $541\\ \\mu \\mathrm{Jy\\ beam}^{-1}$. We were able to extract 3545 candidate sources, 75 per cent of them point sources. For a preliminary validation, a comparison with the 843 MHz Molonglo Galactic Plane Survey is presented. Although the present observations were obtained with the ASKAP only partially deployed, its unique capability to map complex sources, such as those inhabiting the Galactic plane, at different angular scales, is highlighted. Within the SCORPIO field all the previously classified H ii regions, Planetary Nebulae (PNe), and supernovae remnants (SNRs), previously known to be radio sources, were detected. We also report new radio detections from several H ii regions previously classified as ‘candidates’ or ‘radio quiet’ and from half of all the PNe in the SCORPIO field with robust classification. Most notably, we find numerous unclassified, extended sources which constitute a promising s le of candidates H ii regions and SNRs.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 19-02-2016
DOI: 10.1093/MNRAS/STW395
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-01-2023
Abstract: The radio polarization properties of the pulsar population are only superficially captured by the conventional picture of pulsar radio emission. We study the broadband polarization of 271 young radio pulsars, focusing particularly on circular polarization, using high-quality observations made with the Ultra-Wideband Low receiver on Murriyang, the Parkes radio telescope. We seek to encapsulate polarization behaviour on a population scale by defining broad categories for frequency- and phase-dependent polarization evolution, studying the co-occurrences of these categorizations and comparing them with average polarization measurements and spin-down energy ($\\dot{E}$). This work shows that deviations of the linear polarization position angle from the rotating vector model are linked to the presence of circular polarization features and to frequency evolution of the polarization. Polarization fraction, circular polarization contribution, and profile complexity all evolve with $\\dot{E}$ across the population, with the profiles of high-$\\dot{E}$ pulsars being simple and highly linearly polarized. The relationship between polarization fraction and circular contribution is also seen to evolve such that highly polarized profiles show less variation in circular contribution with frequency than less strongly polarized profiles. This evolution is seen both across the population and across frequency for in idual sources. Understanding pulsar radio polarization requires detailed study of in idual sources and collective understanding of population-level trends. For the former, we provide visualizations of their phase- and frequency-resolved polarization parameters. For the latter, we have highlighted the importance of including the impact of circular polarization and of $\\dot{E}$.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 08-11-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 30-08-2019
Abstract: The smooth spin-down of young pulsars is perturbed by two non-deterministic phenomenon, glitches, and timing noise. Although the timing noise provides insights into nuclear and plasma physics at extreme densities, it acts as a barrier to high-precision pulsar timing experiments. An improved methodology based on the Bayesian inference is developed to simultaneously model the stochastic and deterministic parameters for a s le of 85 high-$\dot{E}$ radio pulsars observed for ∼10 yr with the 64-m Parkes radio telescope. Timing noise is known to be a red process and we develop a parametrization based on the red-noise litude (Ared) and spectral index (β). We measure the median Ared to be $-10.4^{+1.8}_{-1.7}$ yr3/2 and β to be $-5.2^{+3.0}_{-3.8}$ and show that the strength of timing noise scales proportionally to $\nu ^{1}|\dot{\nu }|^{-0.6\pm 0.1}$, where ν is the spin frequency of the pulsar and $\dot{\nu }$ is its spin-down rate. Finally, we measure significant braking indices for 19 pulsars and proper motions for 2 pulsars, and discuss the presence of periodic modulation in the arrival times of 5 pulsars.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 19-01-2023
Abstract: We present average flux density measurements of 151 radio pulsars at 1.4 GHz with the Parkes ‘Murriyang’ radio telescope. We recommend our results be included in the next version of the Australia Telescope National Facility Pulsar Catalogue. The large s le of pulsars together with their wide dispersion measure (DM) range makes this data set useful for studying variability of flux density, pulsar spectra, and interstellar medium (ISM). We derive the modulation indices and structure-function from the flux density time series for 95 and 54 pulsars, respectively. We suggest the modulation index also be included in the next version of the pulsar catalogue to manifest the variability of pulsar flux density. The modulation index of flow density and DM are negatively correlated. The refractive scintillation (RISS) time-scales or its lower bound for a set of 15 pulsars are derived. They are very different from theoretical expectations, implying the complicated properties of the ISM along different lines of sight. The structure-function for other pulsars is flat. The RISS parameters for some of these pulsars possibly could be derived with different observing strategies in the future.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 23-01-2019
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 28-07-2022
Abstract: We report the discovery of a new 5.78 ms period millisecond pulsar (MSP), PSR J1740−5340B (NGC 6397B), in an eclipsing binary system discovered with the Parkes radio telescope (now also known as Murriyang) in Australia and confirmed with the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. The measured orbital period, 1.97 days, is the longest among all eclipsing binaries in globular clusters (GCs) and consistent with that of the coincident X-ray source U18, previously suggested to be a “hidden MSP.” Our XMM-Newton observations during NGC 6397B’s radio-quiescent epochs detected no X-ray flares. NGC 6397B is either a transitional MSP or an eclipsing binary in its initial stage of mass transfer after the companion star left the main sequence. The discovery of NGC 6397B potentially reveals a subgroup of extremely faint and heavily obscured binary pulsars, thus providing a plausible explanation for the apparent dearth of binary neutron stars in core-collapsed GCs as well as a critical constraint on the evolution of GCs.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 04-2010
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 20-01-2020
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 15-12-2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-04-2020
Abstract: In Paper I of this series, we detected a significant value of the braking index (n) for 19 young, high-$\\dot{E}$ radio pulsars using ∼10 yr of timing observations from the 64-m Parkes radio telescope. Here, we investigate this result in more detail using a Bayesian pulsar timing framework to model timing noise and to perform selection to distinguish between models containing exponential glitch recovery and braking index signatures. We show that consistent values of n are maintained with the addition of substantial archival data, even in the presence of glitches. We provide strong arguments that our measurements are unlikely due to exponential recovery signals from unseen glitches even though glitches play a key role in the evolution of a pulsar’s spin frequency. We conclude that, at least over decadal time-scales, the value of n can be significantly larger than the canonical 3 and discuss the implications for the evolution of pulsars.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 28-01-2023
Abstract: PSR B0820 + 02 is known to exhibit the subpulse drifting phenomenon, which carries vital information about the pulsar radiation process. In this work, we studied the subpulse drifting of PSR B0820 + 02 at a central frequency of 1250 MHz using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). Thanks to the superior sensitivity of FAST, we found that PSR B0820 + 02 shows four distinct subpulse drifting modes (A, B, C, and D), the last three of which have not been reported before. The drifting periodicities of these four modes are found to be 4.3P1, 6.4P1, 8.2P1, and 10.3P1 (P1 is the pulse period), respectively. No null pulse is found in our FAST observation. By comparing the energy distribution of single pulses of all four modes, we found that mode A has the highest energy and mode D has the lowest energy. Finally, we interpreted the drift modes in terms of the carousel model, and showed that if B0820 + 02’s different drift modes are due to aliasing effects, the carousel rotation period of P4 lies in the range 29P1–33P1. The new subpulse drifting phenomena of PSR B0820 + 02 reported here provide a unique opportunity for understanding the mechanism and radiation geometry of pulsar radio radiation.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 29-08-2015
DOI: 10.1093/MNRAS/STV508
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-09-2021
Abstract: We report on a timing programme of 74 young pulsars that have been observed by the Parkes 64-m radio telescope over the past decade. Using modern Bayesian timing techniques, we have measured the properties of 124 glitches in 52 of these pulsars, of which 74 are new. We demonstrate that the glitch s le is complete to fractional increases in spin frequency greater than $\\Delta \\nu ^{90{{\\ \\rm per\\ cent}}}_{\\mathrm{ g}}/\\nu \\approx 8.1 \\times 10^{-9}$ . We measure values of the braking index, n, in 33 pulsars. In most of these pulsars, their rotational evolution is dominated by episodes of spin-down with n & 10, punctuated by step changes in the spin-down rate at the time of a large glitch. The step changes are such that, averaged over the glitches, the long-term n is small. We find a near one-to-one relationship between the interglitch value of n and the change in spin-down of the previous glitch ided by the interglitch time interval. We discuss the results in the context of a range of physical models.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 10-2016
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 25-09-2015
Abstract: Gravitational waves are expected to be generated by the interaction of the massive bodies in black-hole binary systems. As gravitational waves distort spacetime, it should be possible to verify their existence as they interfere with the pulses emitted by millisecond pulsars. However, after monitoring 24 pulsars with the Parkes radio telescope for 12 years, Shannon et al. found no detectable variation in pulsar records. This nondetection result indicates that a new detection strategy for gravitational waves is needed. Science , this issue p. 1522
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-08-2021
Abstract: We have searched for weak fast radio burst (FRB) events using a data base containing 568 736 756 transient events detected using the Parkes radio telescope between 1997 and 2001. In order to classify these pulses, and to identify likely FRB candidates, we used a machine-learning algorithm based on ResNet. We identified 81 new candidate FRBs and provide details of their positions, event times, and dispersion measures. These events were detected in only one beam of the Parkes multibeam receiver. We used a relatively low S/N cut-off threshold when selecting these bursts and some have dispersion measures only slightly exceeding the expected Galactic contribution. We therefore present these candidate FRBs as a guide for follow-up observations in the search for repeating FRBs.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 25-11-2020
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 03-08-2022
Abstract: Pulsar timing array collaborations have recently reported evidence for a noise process with a common spectrum among the millisecond pulsars in the arrays. The spectral properties of this common-noise process are consistent with expectations for an isotropic gravitational-wave background (GWB) from inspiralling supermassive black hole binaries. However, recent simulation analyses based on Parkes Pulsar Timing Array data indicate that such a detection may arise spuriously. In this paper, we use simulated pulsar timing array data sets to further test the robustness of the inference methods for spectral and spatial correlations from a GWB. Expanding on our previous results, we find strong support (Bayes factors exceeding 105) for the presence of a common-spectrum noise process in data sets where no common process is present, under a wide range of timing noise prescriptions per pulsar. We show that these results are highly sensitive to the choice of Bayesian priors on timing noise parameters, with priors that more closely match the injected distributions of timing noise parameters resulting in diminished support for a common-spectrum noise process. These results emphasize shortcomings in current methods for inferring the presence of a common-spectrum process, and imply that the detection of a common process is not a reliable precursor to detection of the GWB. Future searches for the nanohertz GWB should remain focused on detecting spatial correlations, and make use of more tailored specifications for a common-spectrum noise process.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-2021
Abstract: We report here on the discovery with XMM–Newton of pulsations at 22 ms from the central compact source associated with IKT 16, a supernova remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The measured spin period and spin period derivative correspond to 21.7661076(2) ms and 2.9(3) × 10−14 s s−1, respectively. Assuming standard spin-down by magnetic dipole radiation, the spin-down power corresponds to 1.1 × 1038 erg s−1 implying a Crab-like pulsar. This makes it the most energetic pulsar discovered in the SMC so far and a close analogue of PSR J0537–6910, a Crab-like pulsar in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The characteristic age of the pulsar is 12 kyr. Having for the first time a period measure for this source, we also searched for the signal in archival data collected in radio with the Parkes telescope and in γ-rays with the Fermi/LAT, but no evidence for pulsation was found in these energy bands.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 15-10-2020
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 07-2019
DOI: 10.1088/1674-4527/19/7/103
Abstract: Flux densities are fundamental observational parameters that describe a pulsar. In the current pulsar catalogue, 27% of the listed radio pulsars have no flux density measurement in the 20 cm observing band. Here, we present the first such measurements for 32 pulsars observed employing the Parkes radio telescope. We have used both archival and new observations to make these measurements. Various schemes exist for measuring flux densities and we show how the measured flux densities vary between these methods and how the presence of radio-frequency interference will bias the flux density measurements.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 02-12-2020
Abstract: Cosmic strings are potential gravitational-wave (GW) sources that can be probed by pulsar timing arrays (PTAs). In this work we develop a detection algorithm for a GW burst from a cusp on a cosmic string, and apply it to Parkes PTA data. We find four events with a false alarm probability less than 1 per cent. However further investigation shows that all of these are likely to be spurious. As there are no convincing detections we place upper limits on the GW litude for different event durations. From these bounds we place limits on the cosmic string tension of Gμ ∼ 10−5, and highlight that this bound is independent from those obtained using other techniques. We discuss the physical implications of our results and the prospect of probing cosmic strings in the era of Square Kilometre Array.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 26-03-2021
Abstract: We present high signal-to-noise ratio, full polarization pulse profiles for 40 bright, ‘slowly’ rotating (non-recycled) pulsars using the new ultrawideband low-frequency (UWL 704–4032 MHz) receiver on the Parkes radio telescope. We obtain updated and accurate interstellar medium parameters towards these pulsars (dispersion measures and Faraday rotation measures), and reveal Faraday dispersion towards PSR J1721–3532 caused by interstellar scattering. We find general trends in the pulse profiles including decreasing fractional linear polarization and increasing degree of circular polarization with increasing frequency, consistent with previous studies, while also revealing new features and frequency evolution. This demonstrates results that can be obtained using UWL monitoring observations of slow pulsars, which are valuable for improving our understanding of pulsar emission and the intervening interstellar medium. The calibrated data products are publicly available.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 27-10-2023
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 02-04-2019
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 30-09-2020
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201937234
Abstract: Context. We investigate the use of saliency-map analysis to aid in searches for transient signals, such as fast radio bursts and in idual pulses from radio pulsars. Aims. Our aim is to demonstrate that saliency maps provide the means to understand predictions from machine learning algorithms and can be implemented in pipelines used to search for transient events. Methods. We implemented a new deep learning methodology to predict whether any segment of the data contains a transient event. The algorithm was trained using real and simulated data sets. We demonstrate that the algorithm is able to identify such events. The output results are visually analysed via the use of saliency maps. Results. We find that saliency maps can produce an enhanced image of any transient feature without the need for de-dispersion or removal of radio frequency interference. The maps can be used to understand which features in the image were used in making the machine learning decision and to visualise the transient event. Even though the algorithm reported here was developed to demonstrate saliency-map analysis, we have detected a single burst event, in archival data, with dispersion measure of 41 cm −3 pc that is not associated with any currently known pulsar.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 05-2022
Abstract: Making precise measurements of pulsar dispersion measures (DMs) and applying suitable corrections for them is among the major challenges in high-precision timing programs such as pulsar timing arrays (PTAs). While the advent of wideband pulsar instrumentation can enable more precise DM measurements and thence improved timing precision, it also necessitates doing careful assessments of frequency-dependent (chromatic) DMs that were theorized by Cordes et al (2016). Here we report the detection of such an effect in broadband observations of the millisecond pulsar PSR J2241−5236, a high-priority target for current and future PTAs. The observations were made contemporaneously using the wideband receivers and capabilities now available at the Murchison Widefield Array, the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, and the Parkes telescopes, thus providing an unprecedentedly large frequency coverage from 80 MHz to 4 GHz. Our analysis shows the measurable changes in DM that scale with the observing frequency ( ν ) as δ DM ∝ ν 2.5±0.1 . We discuss the potential implications of such a frequency dependence in the measured DMs and the likely impact on the timing noise budget and comment on the usefulness of low-frequency observations in advancing PTA efforts.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 04-11-2019
Abstract: We have constructed a new time-scale, TT(IPTA16), based on observations of radio pulsars presented in the first data release from the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA). We used two analysis techniques with independent estimates of the noise models for the pulsar observations and different algorithms for obtaining the pulsar time-scale. The two analyses agree within the estimated uncertainties and both agree with TT(BIPM17), a post-corrected time-scale produced by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). We show that both methods could detect significant errors in TT(BIPM17) if they were present. We estimate the stability of the atomic clocks from which TT(BIPM17) is derived using observations of four rubidium fountain clocks at the US Naval Observatory. Comparing the power spectrum of TT(IPTA16) with that of these fountain clocks suggests that pulsar-based time-scales are unlikely to contribute to the stability of the best time-scales over the next decade, but they will remain a valuable independent check on atomic time-scales. We also find that the stability of the pulsar-based time-scale is likely to be limited by our knowledge of solar-system dynamics, and that errors in TT(BIPM17) will not be a limiting factor for the primary goal of the IPTA, which is to search for the signatures of nano-Hertz gravitational waves.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 08-2018
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 26-06-2020
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 08-2021
DOI: 10.1088/1674-4527/21/6/141
Abstract: Precise measurements of neutron star (NS) velocities provide critical clues in regard to the supernova physics and evolution of binary systems. Based on Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2), we selected a s le of 24 young ( 3 Myr) pulsars with precise parallax measurements and measured the velocity of their local standard of rest (LSR) and the velocity dispersion among their respective local stellar groups. The median velocity difference between thus calculated LSRs and the Galactic rotation model is ∼ 7.6 km s −1 , small compared to the typical velocity dispersion of ∼ 27.5 km s −1 . For pulsars off the Galactic plane, such differences grow significantly to as large as ∼40 km s −1 . More importantly, the velocity dispersion of stars in the local group of low-velocity pulsars can be comparable to their transverse velocities, suggesting that the intrinsic velocities of NS progenitors should be taken into account when we consider their natal kicks and binary evolution. We also examined the double NS system J0737–3039A/B, and measured its transverse velocity to be 26 − 13 + 18 km s −1 assuming nearby Gaia sources are representative of their birth environment. This work demonstrated the feasibility and importance of using Gaia data to study the velocity of in idual systems and velocity distribution of NSs.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 08-03-2017
DOI: 10.1093/MNRAS/STX580
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 18-05-2020
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 18-11-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 29-04-2022
Abstract: We describe a new software package for simulating channelised, high-time resolution data streams from radio telescopes. The software simulates data from the telescope and observing system taking into account the observation strategy, receiver system and digitisation. The signatures of pulsars, fast radio bursts and flare stars are modelled, including frequency-dependent effects such as scattering and scintillation. We also simulate more generic signals using spline curves and images. Models of radio frequency interference include signals from satellites, terrestrial transmitters and impulsive, broadband signals. The simulated signals can also be injected into real data sets. Uses of this software include the production of machine learning training data sets, development and testing of new algorithms to search for anomalous patterns and to characterise processing pipelines.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 12-2020
Abstract: We report the first wideband monitoring observations of PSR J1803−3002A, a relatively bright millisecond pulsar (MSP) in the globular cluster NGC 6522 with a spin period of 7.1 ms and no known binary companion. These observations were performed using the Parkes 64 m radio telescope with the Ultra-Wideband Low receiver system, which covers 704–4032 MHz. We confirm that PSR J1803−3002A is an isolated MSP located near the cluster center and probe the emission properties of the pulsar over the wide observed band. The mean pulse profile consists of three components, with the outer components becoming more prominent at higher frequencies, and a mean spectral index for the pulsed emission of −1.66 ± 0.07 over the observed band. The fractional linear and circular polarization increase with increasing frequency, which is unusual for pulsars. We determine a Faraday rotation measure of −107 ± 6 rad m −2 for the pulsar. PSR J1803−3002A is a distant pulsar in the Galactic plane, but our observations show no evidence of pulse broadening due to interstellar scattering. These results demonstrate the power of ultra-wideband receivers and signal processing systems.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-12-2015
Publisher: CSIRO
Date: 2017
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2020
Abstract: We present timing solutions and analyses of 11 pulsars discovered by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). These pulsars were discovered using an ultrawide bandwidth receiver in drift-scan observations made during the commissioning phase of FAST, and were then confirmed and timed using the 64-m Parkes Radio Telescope. Each pulsar has been observed over a span of at least one year. Highlighted discoveries include PSR J0344−0901, which displays mode-changing behaviour and may belong to the class of so-called swooshing pulsars (alongside PSRs B0919+06 and B1859+07) PSR J0803−0942, whose emission is almost completely linearly polarized and PSRs J1900−0134 and J1945+1211, whose well-defined polarization angle curves place stringent constraints on their emission geometry. We further discuss the detectability of these pulsars by earlier surveys, and highlight lessons learned from our work in carrying out confirmation and monitoring observations of pulsars discovered by a highly sensitive telescope, many of which may be applicable to next-generation pulsar surveys. This paper marks one of the first major releases of FAST-discovered pulsars, and paves the way for future discoveries anticipated from the Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 02-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 04-02-2022
Abstract: We report the discovery of J0624–6948, a low-surface brightness radio ring, lying between the Galactic Plane and the large magellanic cloud (LMC). It was first detected at 888 MHz with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), and with a diameter of ∼196 arcsec. This source has phenomenological similarities to odd radio circles (ORCs). Significant differences to the known ORCs – a flatter radio spectral index, the lack of a prominent central galaxy as a possible host, and larger apparent size – suggest that J0624–6948 may be a different type of object. We argue that the most plausible explanation for J0624–6948 is an intergalactic supernova remnant due to a star that resided in the LMC outskirts that had undergone a single-degenerate type Ia supernova, and we are seeing its remnant expand into a rarefied, intergalactic environment. We also examine if a massive star or a white dwarf binary ejected from either galaxy could be the supernova progenitor. Finally, we consider several other hypotheses for the nature of the object, including the jets of an active galactic nucleus (30Dor) or the remnant of a nearby stellar super-flare.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 20-06-2017
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 13-10-2022
Abstract: We present a new Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) s le of 14 radio supernova remnants (SNR) candidates in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This new s le is a significant increase to the known number of older, larger, and low surface brightness LMC SNRs. We employ a multifrequency search for each object and found possible traces of optical and occasionally X-ray emission in several of these 14 SNR candidates. One of these 14 SNR candidates (MCSNR J0522 – 6543) has multifrequency properties that strongly indicate a bona fide SNR. We also investigate a s le of 20 previously suggested LMC SNR candidates and confirm the SNR nature of MCSNR J0506 – 6815. We detect lower surface brightness SNR candidates which were likely formed by a combination of shock waves and strong stellar winds from massive progenitors (and possibly surrounding OB stars). Some of our new SNR candidates are also found in lower density environments in which SNe type Ia explode inside a previously excavated interstellar medium.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-2017
DOI: 10.1093/NSR/NWX126
Abstract: A pulsar timing array (PTA) refers to a program of regular, high-precision timing observations of a widely distributed array of millisecond pulsars. Here we review the status of the three primary PTA projects and the joint International Pulsar Timing Array project. We discuss current results related to ultra-low-frequency gravitational wave searches and highlight opportunities for the near future.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 03-2015
DOI: 10.1086/680484
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-03-2023
Abstract: The International Pulsar Timing Array 2nd data release is the combination of data sets from worldwide collaborations. In this study, we search for continuous waves: gravitational wave signals produced by in idual supermassive black hole binaries in the local universe. We consider binaries on circular orbits and neglect the evolution of orbital frequency over the observational span. We find no evidence for such signals and set sky averaged 95 per cent upper limits on their litude h95. The most sensitive frequency is 10 nHz with h95 = 9.1 × 10−15. We achieved the best upper limit to date at low and high frequencies of the PTA band thanks to improved effective cadence of observations. In our analysis, we have taken into account the recently discovered common red noise process, which has an impact at low frequencies. We also find that the peculiar noise features present in some pulsars data must be taken into account to reduce the false alarm. We show that using custom noise models is essential in searching for continuous gravitational wave signals and setting the upper limit.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 09-2017
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 27-07-2015
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-06-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41586-022-04755-5
Abstract: The dispersive sweep of fast radio bursts (FRBs) has been used to probe the ionized baryon content of the intergalactic medium 1 , which is assumed to dominate the total extragalactic dispersion. Although the host-galaxy contributions to the dispersion measure appear to be small for most FRBs 2 , in at least one case there is evidence for an extreme magneto-ionic local environment 3,4 and a compact persistent radio source 5 . Here we report the detection and localization of the repeating FRB 20190520B, which is co-located with a compact, persistent radio source and associated with a dwarf host galaxy of high specific-star-formation rate at a redshift of 0.241 ± 0.001. The estimated host-galaxy dispersion measure of approximately $${903}_{-111}^{+72}$$ 903 − 111 + 72 parsecs per cubic centimetre, which is nearly an order of magnitude higher than the average of FRB host galaxies 2,6 , far exceeds the dispersion-measure contribution of the intergalactic medium. Caution is thus warranted in inferring redshifts for FRBs without accurate host-galaxy identifications.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-08-2021
Abstract: The main goal of pulsar timing array experiments is to detect correlated signals such as nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves. Pulsar timing data collected in dense monitoring c aigns can also be used to study the stars themselves, their binary companions, and the intervening ionized interstellar medium. Timing observations are extraordinarily sensitive to changes in path-length between the pulsar and the Earth, enabling precise measurements of the pulsar positions, distances and velocities, and the shapes of their orbits. Here we present a timing analysis of 25 pulsars observed as part of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) project over time spans of up to 24 yr. The data are from the second data release of the PPTA, which we have extended by including legacy data. We make the first detection of Shapiro delay in four Southern pulsars (PSRs J1017−7156, J1125−6014, J1545−4550, and J1732−5049), and of parallax in six pulsars. The prominent Shapiro delay of PSR J1125−6014 implies a neutron star mass of Mp = 1.5 ± 0.2 M⊙ (68 per cent credibility interval). Measurements of both Shapiro delay and relativistic periastron advance in PSR J1600−3053 yield a large but uncertain pulsar mass of $M_p = 2.06^{+0.44}_{-0.41}$ M⊙ (68 per cent credibility interval). We measure the distance to PSR J1909−3744 to a precision of 10 lyr, indicating that for gravitational wave periods over a decade, the pulsar provides a coherent baseline for pulsar timing array experiments.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 19-01-2022
Abstract: We searched for an isotropic stochastic gravitational wave background in the second data release of the International Pulsar Timing Array, a global collaboration synthesizing decadal-length pulsar-timing c aigns in North America, Europe, and Australia. In our reference search for a power-law strain spectrum of the form $h_c = A(f/1\\, \\mathrm{yr}^{-1})^{\\alpha }$, we found strong evidence for a spectrally similar low-frequency stochastic process of litude $A = 3.8^{+6.3}_{-2.5}\\times 10^{-15}$ and spectral index α = −0.5 ± 0.5, where the uncertainties represent 95 per cent credible regions, using information from the auto- and cross-correlation terms between the pulsars in the array. For a spectral index of α = −2/3, as expected from a population of inspiralling supermassive black hole binaries, the recovered litude is $A = 2.8^{+1.2}_{-0.8}\\times 10^{-15}$. None the less, no significant evidence of the Hellings–Downs correlations that would indicate a gravitational-wave origin was found. We also analysed the constituent data from the in idual pulsar timing arrays in a consistent way, and clearly demonstrate that the combined international data set is more sensitive. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this combined data set produces comparable constraints to recent single-array data sets which have more data than the constituent parts of the combination. Future international data releases will deliver increased sensitivity to gravitational wave radiation, and significantly increase the detection probability.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 22-08-2016
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1017/PASA.2021.44
Abstract: The Variables and Slow Transients Survey (VAST) on the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) is designed to detect highly variable and transient radio sources on timescales from 5 s to $\\sim\\!5$ yr. In this paper, we present the survey description, observation strategy and initial results from the VAST Phase I Pilot Survey. This pilot survey consists of $\\sim\\!162$ h of observations conducted at a central frequency of 888 MHz between 2019 August and 2020 August, with a typical rms sensitivity of $0.24\\ \\mathrm{mJy\\ beam}^{-1}$ and angular resolution of $12-20$ arcseconds. There are 113 fields, each of which was observed for 12 min integration time, with between 5 and 13 repeats, with cadences between 1 day and 8 months. The total area of the pilot survey footprint is 5 131 square degrees, covering six distinct regions of the sky. An initial search of two of these regions, totalling 1 646 square degrees, revealed 28 highly variable and/or transient sources. Seven of these are known pulsars, including the millisecond pulsar J2039–5617. Another seven are stars, four of which have no previously reported radio detection (SCR J0533–4257, LEHPM 2-783, UCAC3 89–412162 and 2MASS J22414436–6119311). Of the remaining 14 sources, two are active galactic nuclei, six are associated with galaxies and the other six have no multi-wavelength counterparts and are yet to be identified.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 31-03-2016
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 10-2020
Abstract: We have observed PSR B1534+12 (J1537+1155), a pulsar with a neutron star companion, using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope. We found that this pulsar shows two distinct emission states: a weak state with a wide pulse profile and a burst state with a narrow pulse profile. The weak state is always present. We cannot, with our current data, determine whether the pulse energy of the weak state follows a normal or a log-normal distribution. The burst state energy distribution follows a power law. The litude of the single-pulse emission in the burst state varies significantly the peak flux intensity of the brightest pulse is 334 times stronger than that of the average pulse. We also examined the timing precision achievable using only bright pulses, which showed no demonstrable improvement because of pulse jitter and therefore quantified the jitter noise level for this pulsar.
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Start Date: 03-2021
End Date: 03-2024
Amount: $345,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
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