Using the Intensity Modulation Index to Test Pulsar Radio Emission Models
نویسندگان
چکیده
This letter explores the possibility of testing pulsar radio emission models by observing pulse-to-pulse intensity modulation. It is shown that a relationship between a pulsar’s period, period derivative, and intensity modulation is a natural consequence of at least one theoretical model of radio pulsar emission. It is proposed that other models may also predict a similar correlation. The exact form of the relationship will depend on the model in question. Hence, observations of intensity modulation should be able to determine the validity of the various emission models. In an attempt to search for the predicted dependencies, the modulation properties of a set of 12 pulsars are studied. These data are suggestive, but they are unable to differentiate between three possibilities for the emission process. Future observations will be able to confirm these results and determine whether or not specific emission models are viable. Subject headings: pulsars:general
منابع مشابه
N ov 2 00 3 Constraining vacuum gap models of pulsar radio emission using the intensity modulation index
Recent observations suggest that the level of pulse-to-pulse intensity modulation observed in a given radio pulsar may depend on its period and period derivative. Such a “modulation index relationship” (MIR) may be an important tool for determining the physical processes behind the radio emission. In the context of sparking gap models, the exact functional form of the MIR depends on the physica...
متن کاملVariability of the Pulsed Radio Emission from the Large Magellanic Cloud Pulsar PSR J0529-6652
We have studied the variability of PSR J0529−6652, a radio pulsar in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), using observations conducted at 1390 MHz with the Parkes 64 m telescope. PSR J0529−6652 is detectable as a single pulse emitter, with amplitudes that classify the pulses as giant pulses. This makes PSR J0529−6652 the second known giant pulse emitter in the LMC, after PSR B0540−69. The fraction...
متن کاملar X iv : a st ro - p h / 05 02 50 3 v 1 2 4 Fe b 20 05 Orbital modulation of emission of the binary pulsar
In binary radio pulsar system J0737−3039, slow pulsar B shows orbital modulations of intensity, being especially bright at two short orbital phases. We propose that these modulations are due to distortion of pulsar B magnetosphere by pulsar A wind which produces orbital phase-dependent changes of the direction along which radio waves are emitted. In our model, pulsar B is intrinsically bright a...
متن کاملOn the Methods of Determining the Radio Emission Geometry in Pulsar Magnetospheres
We present a modification of the relativistic phase shift method of determining the radio emission geometry from pulsar magnetospheres proposed by Gangadhara & Gupta (2001). Our modification provides a method of determining radio emission altitudes which does not depend on the viewing geometry and does not require polarization measurements. We suggest application of the method to the outer edge...
متن کاملDiscovery of X - ray emission from the young radio pulsar PSR J 1357 − 6429
We present the first X-ray detection of the very young pulsar PSR J1357−6429 (characteristic age of 7.3 kyr) using data from the XMM-Newton and Chandra satellites. We found that the spectrum is well described by a power-law plus blackbody model, with photon index Γ = 1.4 and blackbody temperature kBT = 160 eV. For the estimated distance of 2.5 kpc, this corresponds to a 2–10 keV luminosity of ∼...
متن کامل