Deep Searches for Radio Pulsations and Bursts from Four Southern Anomalous X-ray Pulsars

Abstract

We have searched for persistent radio pulsations, bright single pulses, and bursts from four Southern anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs). Deep observations were conducted at 1.4 GHz in 1999 July and August with the Parkes 64-m telescope. For all of the target AXPs, the upper limits on integrated pulsed emission are ~0.02 mJy, while the limits on the flux of single pulses are ~1 Jy or better. The corresponding radio luminosity limits are significantly below the observed luminosities of the majority of the observed radio pulsars, and they are significantly below the radio luminosity of XTE J1810-197, the only AXP known thus far to emit radio pulsations, at the epoch when radio pulses were first detected from this source. Our null results support the hypothesis that pulsed radio emission from AXPs is only present in conjunction with X-ray outburst activity. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that pulsed radio emission is present, but that it is too weak to be detected in our observations, or that unfavorable viewing geometries prevent this emission from being seen by terrestrial observers. Given the possible association between the radio emission and transient X-ray behavior of XTE J1810-197, continued radio searches of these and other AXPs at different epochs are warranted, particularly after periods of X-ray burst activity.