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您选择的条件: W. van Straten
  • Gravitational signal propagation in the Double Pulsar studied with the MeerKAT telescope

    分类: 天文学 >> 天体物理学 提交时间: 2023-02-21

    摘要: The Double Pulsar, PSR J0737-3039A/B, has offered a wealth of gravitational experiments in the strong-field regime, all of which GR has passed with flying colours. In particular, among current gravity experiments that test photon propagation, the Double Pulsar probes the strongest spacetime curvature. Observations with MeerKAT and, in future, the SKA can greatly improve the accuracy of current tests and facilitate tests of NLO contributions in both orbital motion and signal propagation. We present our timing analysis of new observations of PSR J0737-3039A, made using the MeerKAT telescope over the last 3 years. The increased timing precision offered by MeerKAT yields a 2 times better measurement of Shapiro delay parameter s and improved mass measurements compared to previous studies. In addition, our results provide an independent confirmation of the NLO signal propagation effects and already surpass the previous measurement from 16-yr data by a factor of 1.65. These effects include the retardation effect due to the movement of B and the deflection of the signal by the gravitational field of B. We also investigate novel effects which are expected. For instance, we search for potential profile variations near superior conjunctions caused by shifts of the line-of-sight due to latitudinal signal deflection and find insignificant evidence with our current data. With simulations, we find that the latitudinal deflection delay is unlikely to be measured with timing because of its correlation with Shapiro delay. Furthermore, although it is currently not possible to detect the expected lensing correction to the Shapiro delay, our simulations suggest that this effect may be measured with the full SKA. Finally, we provide an improved analytical description for the signal propagation in the Double Pulsar system that meets the timing precision expected from future instruments such as the full SKA.

  • PSR~J1910$-$5959A: A rare gravitational laboratory for testing white dwarf models

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: PSRJ1910-5959A (J1910A) is a binary millisecond pulsar in a 0.837 day circular orbit around a helium white dwarf (HeWD) companion. This pulsar is located 6.3 arcmin away from the centre of the globular cluster NGC6752. Given the large offset, the association of the pulsar to NGC6752 has been debated. We have made use of two decades of archival Parkes 64-m "Murriyang" telescope data and recently carried out observations with the MeerKAT telescope. We obtained Pulse times of arrival using standard data reduction techniques and analysed using Bayesian pulsar timing techniques. We analysed the pulsar's total intensity and polarisation profile, to study the interstellar scattering along the line of sight, and the pulsar's geometry by applying the rotating vector model. We obtain precise measurements of several post-Keplerian parameters: the range $r=0.202(6)T_\odot$ and shape s=0.999823(4) of the Shapiro delay, from which we infer the orbital inclination to be $88.9^{+0.15}_{-0.14}\deg$ and the masses of both the pulsar and the companion to be $1.55(7)M_{\odot}$ and $0.202(6)M_{\odot}$ respectively; a secular change in the orbital period $\dot{P}_{\rm b}=-53^{+7.4}_{-6.0}\times 10^{-15}$\,s\,s$^{-1}$ that proves the association to NGGC6752 and a secular change in the projected semi-major axis of the pulsar $\dot{x}= -40.7^{+7.3}_{-8.2}\times10^{-16}$\,s\,s$^{-1}$ that is likely caused by the spin-orbit interaction from a misaligned HeWD spin, at odds with the likely isolated binary evolution of the system. We also discuss some theoretical models for the structure and evolution of WDs in NS-WD binaries by using J1910A's companion as a test bed. J1910A is a rare system for which several parameters of both the pulsar and the HeWD companion can be accurately measured. As such, it is a test bed to discriminate between alternative models for HeWD structure and cooling.

  • The Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre (SMART) pulsar survey -- II. Survey status, pulsar census, and first pulsar discoveries

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: In Paper I, we presented an overview of the Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre (SMART) survey, including the survey design and search pipeline. While the combination of MWA's large field-of-view and the voltage capture system brings a survey speed of ~450 square degrees per hour, the survey progression relies on the availability of compact configuration of the Phase II array. Over the past few years, by taking advantage of multiple windows of opportunity when the compact configuration was available, we have advanced the survey to 75% completion. To date, about 10% of the data collected thus far have been processed for a first-pass search, where 10 minutes of observation is processed for dispersion measures out to 250 ${\rm pc\,cm^{-3}}$, to realise a shallow survey for long-period pulsars. The ongoing analysis has led to two new pulsar discoveries, as well as an independent discovery and a rediscovery of a previously incorrectly characterised pulsar, all from ~3% of the data for which candidate scrutiny is completed. Here we describe the strategies for further detailed follow-up including improved sky localisation and convergence to timing solution, and illustrate them using example pulsar discoveries. The processing has also led to re-detection of 120 pulsars in the SMART observing band, bringing the total number of pulsars detected to date with the MWA to 180, and these are used to assess the search sensitivity of current processing pipelines. The planned second-pass (deep survey) processing is expected to yield a three-fold increase in sensitivity for long-period pulsars, and a substantial improvement to millisecond pulsars by adopting optimal de-dispersion plans. The SMART survey will complement the highly successful Parkes High Time Resolution Universe survey at 1.2-1.5 GHz, and inform future large survey efforts such as those planned with the low-frequency Square Kilometre Array.

  • The Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre (SMART) pulsar survey -- I. Survey design and processing pipeline

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We present an overview of the Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre (SMART) pulsar survey that exploits the MWA's large field of view and voltage capture system to survey the sky south of 30 degree in declination for pulsars and fast transients in the 140-170 MHz band. The survey is enabled by the advent of the Phase II MWA's compact configuration, which offers an enormous efficiency in beam-forming and processing costs, thereby making an all-sky survey of this magnitude tractable with the MWA. Even with the long dwell times of the survey (4800 s), data collection can be completed in < 100 hours of telescope time, while still retaining the ability to reach a limiting sensitivity of ~2-3 mJy. Each observation is processed to generate ~5000-8000 tied-array beams that tessellate the full ~610 square degree field of view, which are then processed to search for pulsars. The voltage-capture recording allows a multitude of post hoc processing options including the reprocessing of data for higher time resolution. Due to the substantial computational cost in pulsar searches at low frequencies, processing is undertaken in multiple passes: in the first pass, a shallow survey is performed, where 10 minutes of each observation is processed, reaching about one-third of the full search sensitivity. Here we present the system overview and initial results. Further details including first pulsar discoveries and a census of low-frequency detections are presented in a companion paper. Future plans include deeper searches to reach the full sensitivity and acceleration searches to target binary and millisecond pulsars. Simulation analysis forecasts ~300 new pulsars upon the completion of full processing. The SMART survey will also generate a complete digital record of the low-frequency sky, which will serve as a valuable reference for future pulsar searches planned with the low-frequency Square Kilometre Array.

  • Gravitational signal propagation in the Double Pulsar studied with the MeerKAT telescope

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: The Double Pulsar, PSR J0737-3039A/B, has offered a wealth of gravitational experiments in the strong-field regime, all of which GR has passed with flying colours. In particular, among current gravity experiments that test photon propagation, the Double Pulsar probes the strongest spacetime curvature. Observations with MeerKAT and, in future, the SKA can greatly improve the accuracy of current tests and facilitate tests of NLO contributions in both orbital motion and signal propagation. We present our timing analysis of new observations of PSR J0737-3039A, made using the MeerKAT telescope over the last 3 years. The increased timing precision offered by MeerKAT yields a 2 times better measurement of Shapiro delay parameter s and improved mass measurements compared to previous studies. In addition, our results provide an independent confirmation of the NLO signal propagation effects and already surpass the previous measurement from 16-yr data by a factor of 1.65. These effects include the retardation effect due to the movement of B and the deflection of the signal by the gravitational field of B. We also investigate novel effects which are expected. For instance, we search for potential profile variations near superior conjunctions caused by shifts of the line-of-sight due to latitudinal signal deflection and find insignificant evidence with our current data. With simulations, we find that the latitudinal deflection delay is unlikely to be measured with timing because of its correlation with Shapiro delay. Furthermore, although it is currently not possible to detect the expected lensing correction to the Shapiro delay, our simulations suggest that this effect may be measured with the full SKA. Finally, we provide an improved analytical description for the signal propagation in the Double Pulsar system that meets the timing precision expected from future instruments such as the full SKA.