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Variable scintillation arcs of millisecond pulsars observed with the Large European Array for Pulsars

Main, R. A.; Antoniadis, J.; Chen, S.; Cognard, I.; Hu, H.; Jang, J.; Karuppusamy, R.; Kramer, M.; Liu, K.; Liu, Y.; Mall, G.; McKee, J. W.; Mickaliger, M. B.; Perrodin, D.; Sanidas, S. A.; Stappers, B. W.; Sprenger, T.; Wucknitz, O.; Bassa, C. G.; Burgay, M.; Concu, R.; Gaikwad, M.; Janssen, G. H.; Lee, K. J.; Melis, A.; Pilia, M.; Possenti, A.; Wang, L.; Zhu, W. W.

Authors

R. A. Main

J. Antoniadis

S. Chen

I. Cognard

H. Hu

J. Jang

R. Karuppusamy

M. Kramer

K. Liu

Y. Liu

G. Mall

J. W. McKee

M. B. Mickaliger

D. Perrodin

S. A. Sanidas

B. W. Stappers

T. Sprenger

O. Wucknitz

C. G. Bassa

M. Burgay

R. Concu

M. Gaikwad

G. H. Janssen

K. J. Lee

A. Melis

M. Pilia

A. Possenti

L. Wang

W. W. Zhu



Abstract

We present the first large sample of scintillation arcs in millisecond pulsars (MSPs), analysing 12 sources observed with the Large European Array for Pulsars (LEAP), and the Effelsberg 100-m telescope. We estimate the delays from multipath propagation, measuring significant correlated changes in scattering time-scales over a 10 yr time span. Many sources show compact concentrations of power in the secondary spectrum, which in PSRs J0613-0200 and J1600-3053 can be tracked between observations, and are consistent with compact scattering at fixed angular positions. Other sources such as PSRs J1643-1224 and J0621+1002 show diffuse, asymmetric arcs which are likely related to phase-gradients across the scattering screen. PSR B1937+21 shows at least three distinct screens which dominate at different times and evidence of varying screen axes or multiscreen interactions. We model annual and orbital arc curvature variations in PSR J0613-0200, providing a measurement of the longitude of ascending node, resolving the sense of the orbital inclination, where our best-fit model is of a screen with variable axis of anisotropy over time, corresponding to changes in the scattering of the source. Unmodelled variations of the screen's axis of anisotropy are likely to be a limiting factor in determining orbital parameters with scintillation, requiring careful consideration of variable screen properties, or independent very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) measurements. Long-term scintillation studies such as this serve as a complementary tool to pulsar timing, to measure a source of correlated noise for pulsar timing arrays, solve pulsar orbits, and to understand the astrophysical origin of scattering screens.

Citation

Main, R. A., Antoniadis, J., Chen, S., Cognard, I., Hu, H., Jang, J., …Zhu, W. W. (2023). Variable scintillation arcs of millisecond pulsars observed with the Large European Array for Pulsars. Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 525(1), 1079-1096. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad1980

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 6, 2023
Online Publication Date Jun 23, 2023
Publication Date Oct 1, 2023
Deposit Date Aug 21, 2023
Publicly Available Date Aug 21, 2023
Journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Print ISSN 0035-8711
Electronic ISSN 1365-2966
Publisher Oxford University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 525
Issue 1
Pages 1079-1096
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad1980
Keywords pulsars: general, ISM: general
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4365767

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Copyright Statement
This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2023 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.




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