arXiv subjects

J. M. Cordes

Publications and source records attributed to J. M. Cordes.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2003

Pulsar Parallaxes at 5 GHz with the Very Long Baseline Array

We present the first pulsar parallaxes measured with phase-referenced pulsar VLBI observations at 5 GHz. Due to the steep spectra of pulsars, previous astrometric measurements have been at lower frequencies. However, the strongest pulsars can be observed at 5 GHz, offering the benefit of lower combined ionospheric and tropospheric phase errors, which usually limit VLBI astrometric accuracy. The pulsars B0329+54, B0355+54 and B1929+10 were observed for 7 epochs spread evenly over 2 years. For B0329+54, large systematic errors lead to only an upper limit on the parallax (pi < 1.5 mas). A new proper motion and parallax were measured for B0355+54 (pi = 0.91 +- 0.16 mas), implying a distance of 1.04+0.21-0.16 kpc and a transverse velocity of 61+12-9 km/s. The parallax and proper motion for B1929+10 were significantly improved (pi = 2.77 +- 0.07 mas), yielding a distance of 361+10-8 pc and a transverse velocity of 177+4-5 km/s. We demonstrate that the astrometric errors are correlated with the angular separation between the phase reference calibrator and the target source, with significantly lower errors at 5 GHz compared to 1.6 GHz. Finally, based on our new distance determinations for B1929+10 and B0355+54, we derive or constrain the luminosities of each pulsar at high energies. We show that, for thermal emission models, the emitting area for X-rays from PSR B1929+10 is roughly consistent with the canonical size for a heated polar cap, and that the conversion of spin-down power to gamma-ray luminosity in B0355+54 must be low. The new proper motion for B1929+10 also implies that its progenitor is unlikely to have been the binary companion of the runaway O-star zeta-Ophiuchi.

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arXiv2003

Smashing the Guitar: An Evolving Neutron Star Bow Shock

The Guitar nebula is a spectacular example of an H-alpha bow shock nebula produced by the interaction of a neutron star with its environment. The radio pulsar B2224+65 is traveling at ~800--1600 km/s (for a distance of 1--2 kpc), placing it on the high-velocity tail of the pulsar velocity distribution. Here we report time evolution in the shape of the Guitar nebula, the first such observations for a bow shock nebula, as seen in H-alpha imaging with the Hubble Space Telescope. The morphology of the nebula provides no evidence for anisotropy in the pulsar wind, nor for fluctuations in the pulsar wind luminosity. The nebula shows morphological changes over two epochs spaced by seven years that imply the existence of significant gradients and inhomogeneities in the ambient interstellar medium. These observations offer astrophysically unique, in situ probes of length scales between 5E-4 pc and 0.012 pc. Model fitting suggests that the nebula axis -- and thus the three-dimensional velocity vector -- lies within 20 degrees of the plane of the sky, and also jointly constrains the distance to the neutron star and the ambient density.

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arXiv2003

PSR J0609+2130: A disrupted binary pulsar?

We report the discovery and initial timing observations of a 55.7-ms pulsar, J0609+2130, found during a 430-MHz drift-scan survey with the Arecibo radio telescope. With a spin-down rate of $3.1 \times 10^{-19}$ s s$^{-1}$ and an inferred surface dipole magnetic field of only $4.2 \times 10^{9}$ G, J0609+2130 has very similar spin parameters to the isolated pulsar J2235+1506 found by Camilo, Nice & Taylor (1993). While the origin of these weakly magnetized isolated neutron stars is not fully understood, one intriguing possibility is that they are the remains of high-mass X-ray binary systems which were disrupted by the supernova explosion of the secondary star.

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arXiv2003

Gamma-Ray Pulsars: Modeling and Searches

Using a likelihood analysis (updated since McLaughlin & Cordes 2000) and EGRET detections, upper limits and diffuse background measurements, we find a best-fit luminosity law for the gamma-ray pulsar population. We find that roughly 30 of the 170 unidentified EGRET sources are likely to be pulsars. This is roughly twice the number of known radio pulsars which are plausibly associated with unidentified EGRET sources. We predict that AGILE will detect roughly 70 pulsars as point sources, including 12 which will be able to be detected in blind periodicity searches. GLAST should detect roughly 1200 pulsars (including only 200 currently known radio pulsars), 210 of which will be able to be detected in blind searches. We discuss methods of searching for pulsars in gamma-ray data and present results from our searches for gamma-ray periodicities from new radio pulsars associated with unidentified EGRET sources.

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arXiv2003

New Pulsars Discovered in Arecibo Drift-Scan Searches

We report on new pulsars discovered in Arecibo drift-scan data. Processing of 2200 square degrees of data has resulted in the detection of 41 known and 12 new pulsars. New pulsars include two millisecond pulsars, one solitary and one binary recycled pulsar, and one pulsar with very unusual pulse profile morphology and complex drifting subpulse behavior.

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arXiv2003

Arecibo 430 MHz Pulsar Polarimetry: Faraday Rotation Measures and Morphological Classifications

We have measured Faraday Rotation Measures (RMs) at Arecibo Observatory for 36 pulsars, 17 of them new. We combine these and earlier measurements to study the galactic magnetic field and its possible temporal variations. Many RM values have changed significantly on several-year timescales, but these variations probably do not reflect interstellar magnetic field changes. By studying the distribution of pulsar RMs near the plane in conjunction with the new NE2001 electron density model, we note the following structures in the first galactic longitude quadrant: (1) The local field reversal can be traced as a null in RM in a 0.5-kpc wide strip interior to the Solar Circle, extending \~7 kpc around the Galaxy. (2) Steadily increasing RMs in a 1-kpc wide strip interior to the local field reversal, and also in the wedge bounded by 42<l<52 deg, indicate that the large-scale field is approximately steady from the local reversal in to the Sagittarius arm. (3) The RMs in the 1-kpc wide strip interior to the Sagittarius arm indicate another field reversal in this strip. (4) The RMs in a final 1-kpc wide interior strip, straddling the Scutum arm, also support a second field reversal interior to the Sun,between the Sagittarius and Scutum arms. (5) Exterior to the nearby reversal, RMs from 60<l<78 deg show evidence for two reversals, on the near and far side of the Perseus arm. (6) In general, the maxima in the large-scale fields tend to lie along the spiral arms, while the field minima tend to be found between them. We have also determined polarized profiles of 48 pulsars at 430 MHz. We present morphological pulse profile classifications of the pulsars, based on our new measurements and previously published data.

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arXiv2003

Searches for Fast Radio Transients

We discuss optimal detection of fast radio transients from astrophysical objects while taking into account the effects of propagation through intervening ionized media, including dispersion, scattering and scintillation.Our analysis applies to the giant-pulse phenomenon exhibited by some pulsars, for which we show examples, and to radio pulses from other astrophysical sources, such as prompt radio emission from gamma-ray burst sources and modulated signals from extra-terrestrial civilizations.

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arXiv2003

Searches for Giant Pulses from Extragalactic Pulsars

We discuss the giant-pulse phenomenon exhibited by pulsars and the distances to which giant pulses might be detected from extragalactic pulsars. We describe the conditions under which a single-pulse search is more sensitive than a standard periodicity search. We find that, for certain pulse-amplitude distribution power laws and time series lengths, single-pulse searches can be superior. We present the results of searches toward several extragalactic targets, including M33, the LMC (PSR B0540-69) and several other galaxies. While we have not conclusively detected giant pulses from any of these targets, these searches illustrate the methodology of, issues related to and difficulties in these types of searches.

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arXiv2003

The Brightest Pulses in the Universe: Multifrequency Observations of the Crab Pulsar's Giant Pulses

We analyze the Crab pulsar at ten frequencies from 0.43 to 8.8 GHz using data obtained at the Arecibo Observatory. Giant pulses occur only in the main and interpulse components manifest from radio frequencies to gamma-ray energies. Individual giant pulses reach brightness temperatures of at least $10^{32}$K in our data, which do not resolve the narrowest pulses, and are known to reach $10^{37}$K in nanosecond-resolution observations (Hankins et al 2003). Giant pulses are therefore the brightest known in the observable universe and represent an important milestone for theories of the pulsar emission mechanism to explain. Their short durations allow them to serve as especially sensitive probes of the Crab Nebula and the interstellar medium. We analyze frequency structure in individual giant pulses using a scintillating, amplitude-modulated,polarized shot-noise model. The frequency structure associated with multipath propagation decorrelates on a time scale of 25 sec at 1.5 GHz, which requires that multipath propagation be strongly influenced by material within the Crab Nebula. Additional frequency structure decorrelates faster than one spin period, as would be expected from the shot-noise pattern of nanosecond duration pulses emitted by the pulsar. Taking into account the Crab pulsar's locality inside a bright supernova remnant, we conclude that the brightest pulse in a typical 1-hour observation would be most easily detectable in our lowest frequency band (0.43 GHz) to a distance of 1.6 Mpc. We also discuss the detection of such pulses using future instruments such as LOFAR and the SKA.

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arXiv2003

NE2001. II. Using Radio Propagation Data to Construct a Model for the Galactic Distribution of Free Electrons

In Paper I we present a new model for the Galactic distribution of free electrons. In this paper we describe the input data and methodology for determining the structure and parameters of the model. Tables of the input data are provided and several figures are used to demonstrate why particular Galactic structures are needed. We identify lines of sight on which discrete regions either enhance or diminish the dispersion or the scattering. Most do not coincide with known \ion{H}{2} regions or supershells, most likely because the enhancements correspond to column densities smaller than detection thresholds for the emission measure in recombination-line surveys.

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arXiv2003

NE2001.I. A New Model for the Galactic Distribution of Free Electrons and its Fluctuations

We present a new model for the Galactic distribution of free electrons. It (a) describes the distribution of the free electrons responsible for pulsar dispersion measures and thus can be used for estimating the distances to pulsars; (b) describes large-scale variations in the strength of fluctuations in electron density that underly interstellar scattering; (c) can be used to interpret interstellar scattering and scintillation observations of Galactic objects and of extragalactic objects, such as intrinsically compact AGNs and Gamma-ray burst afterglows; and (d) serves as a preliminary, smooth spatial model of the warm ionized component of the interstellar gas. This work builds upon and supercedes the Taylor & Cordes (1993) model by exploiting new observations and analysis methods. For lines of sight directed out of the Galactic plane, the new model yields substantially larger values for pulsar dispersion measures, except for directions dominated by the local hot bubble. Unlike the TC93 model, the new model provides sufficient electrons to account for the dispersion measures of the vast majority of known, Galactic pulsars. The new model is described and exemplified using plots of astronomically useful quantities on Galactic-coordinate grids. Software available on the Internet is also described. Future observations and analysis techniques that will improve the Galactic model are outlined.

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arXiv2002

New Pulsars from Arecibo Drift-Scan Searches

We report new pulsars discovered in drift-scan data taken by two collaborations (Berkeley/Cornell and STScI/NAIC) during the latter stages of the Arecibo upgrade period. The data were taken with the Penn State Pulsar Machine and are being processed on the COBRA cluster at Jodrell Bank. Processing is roughly 70% complete and has resulted in the detection of 10 new and 31 known pulsars, in addition to a number of pulsar candidates. The 10 new pulsars include one pulsar with a spin-period of 55 ms and another with a spin period of 5.8 ms. At the completion of the processing, we expect to have discovered roughly 20 new pulsars. All new pulsars are being subjected to a program of followup observations at Arecibo to determine spin and astrometric parameters.

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arXiv2002

A CLEAN-based Method for Deconvolving Interstellar Pulse Broadening from Radio Pulses

Multipath propagation in the interstellar medium distorts radio pulses, an effect predominant for distant pulsars observed at low frequencies. Typically, broadened pulses are analyzed to determine the amount of propagation-induced pulse broadening, but with little interest in determining the undistorted pulse shapes. In this paper we develop and apply a method that recovers both the intrinsic pulse shape and the pulse broadening function that describes the scattering of an impulse. The method resembles the CLEAN algorithm used in synthesis imaging applications, although we search for the best pulse broadening function, and perform a true deconvolution to recover intrinsic pulse structre. As figures of merit to optimize the deconvolution, we use the positivity and symmetry of the deconvolved result along with the mean square residual and the number of points below a given threshold. Our method makes no prior assumptions about the intrinsic pulse shape and can be used for a range of scattering functions for the interstellar medium. It can therefore be applied to a wider variety of measured pulse shapes and degrees of scattering than the previous approaches. We apply the technique to both simulated data and data from Arecibo observations.

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arXiv2002

Bow Shocks from Neutron Stars: Scaling Laws and HST Observations of the Guitar Nebula

The interaction of high-velocity neutron stars with the interstellar medium produces bow shock nebulae, where the relativistic neutron star wind is confined by ram pressure. We present multi-wavelength observations of the Guitar Nebula, including narrow-band H-alpha imaging with HST/WFPC2, which resolves the head of the bow shock. The HST observations are used to fit for the inclination of the pulsar velocity vector to the line of sight, and to determine the combination of spindown energy loss, velocity, and ambient density that sets the scale of the bow shock. We find that the velocity vector is most likely in the plane of the sky. We use the Guitar Nebula and other observed neutron star bow shocks to test scaling laws for their size and H-alpha emission, discuss their prevalence, and present criteria for their detectability in targeted searches. The set of H-alpha bow shocks shows remarkable consistency, in spite of the expected variation in ambient densities and orientations. Together, they support the assumption that a pulsar's spindown energy losses are carried away by a relativistic wind that is indistinguishable from being isotropic. Comparison of H-alpha bow shocks with X-ray and nonthermal, radio-synchrotron bow shocks produced by neutron stars indicates that the overall shape and scaling is consistent with the same physics. It also appears that nonthermal radio emission and H-alpha emission are mutually exclusive in the known objects and perhaps in all objects.

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arXiv2001

The Velocity Distribution of Isolated Radio Pulsars

(Abridged) We infer the velocity distribution of radio pulsars by modelling their birth, evolution, and detection in large-scale 0.4 GHz pulsar surveys, and by comparing model distributions of measurable pulsar properties with survey data using a likelihood function. We test models that characterize a population's birth rate, luminosity, shutoff of radio emission, birth locations, and birth velocities. We infer that the radio beam luminosity (i) is comparable to the energy flux of relativistic particles in models for spin-driven magnetospheres, signifying that radio emission losses reach nearly 100% for the oldest pulsars; and (ii) scales approximately as sqrt(Edot) which, in magnetosphere models, is proportional to the voltage drop available for acceleration of particles. We find that a two-component velocity distribution with characteristic velocities of 90 km/s and 500 km/s is greatly preferred to any one-component distribution. We explore some consequences of the preferred birth velocity distribution: (i) roughly 50% of pulsars in the solar neighborhood will escape the Galaxy, while ~15% have velocities greater than 1000 km/s; (ii) an important low-velocity population exists that increases the fraction of neutron stars retained by globular clusters and is consistent with the number of old objects that accrete from the interstellar medium; (iii) under standard assumptions for supernova remnant expansion and pulsar spin-down, ~10% of pulsars younger than 20 kyr will appear to lie outside of their host remnants. Finally, we comment on the ramifications of our birth velocity distribution for binary survival and the population of inspiraling binary neutron stars relevant to some GRB models and potential sources for LIGO.

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arXiv2001

PSR J1740+1000: A Young Pulsar Well Out Of The Galactic Plane

We discuss PSR J1740+1000, one of five pulsars recently discovered in a search of 470 square degrees at 430 MHz during the upgrade of the 305-m Arecibo telescope. The period of 154 ms and period derivative of 2.1 x 10^-14 s/s imply a spin-down age of 114 kyr that is smaller than 95% of all known pulsars. The youth and proximity of this pulsar make it a good candidate for detection at X-ray and gamma-ray energies. Its high Galactic latitude of 20.4 degrees suggests a very high velocity if the pulsar was born in the midplane of the Galaxy and if its kinematic age equals its spindown age. Interstellar scintillations, however, suggest a much lower velocity. We discuss possible explanations for this discrepancy, taking into account (a) possible birth sites away from the midplane; (b) contributions from the unmeasured radial velocity; (c) a kinematic age different from the spin-down age; and (d) biasing of the scintillation velocity by enhanced scattering from the North Polar Spur.

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arXiv2001

Upper Limits On Periodic, Pulsed Radio Emission from the X-Ray Point Source in Cassiopeia A

The Chandra X-ray Observatory recently discovered an X-ray point source near the center of Cassiopeia A, the youngest known Galactic supernova remnant. We have conducted a sensitive search for radio pulsations from this source with the Very Large Array, taking advantage of the high angular resolution of the array to resolve out the emission from the remnant itself. No convincing signatures of a dispersed, periodic source or of isolated dispersed pulses were found, whether for an isolated or a binary source. We derive upper limits of 30 and 1.3 mJy at 327 and 1435 MHz for the phase-averaged pulsed flux density from this source. The corresponding luminosity limits are lower than those for any pulsar with age less than 10^4 years. The sensitivities of our search to single pulses were 25 and 1.0 Jy at 327 and 1435 MHz. For comparison, the Crab pulsar emits roughly 80 pulses per minute with flux densities greater than 100 Jy at 327 MHz and 8 pulses per minute with flux densities greater than 50 Jy at 1435 MHz. These limits are consistent with the suggestion that the X-ray point source in Cas A adds to the growing number of neutron stars which are not radio pulsars.

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arXiv2000

Faint Scattering Around Pulsars: Probing the Interstellar Medium on Solar System Size Scales

We have made high-resolution, high-sensitivity dynamic spectra of a sample of strong pulsars at 430 MHz with the Arecibo radiotelescope. For 4 pulsars we find faint but sharply delineated features in the secondary spectra. These are examples of the previously observed ``crisscross'' or ``multiple drift slope'' phenomenon presumed to be due to multiple imaging of the pulsar by the interstellar medium. The unprecedented resolution and dynamic range of our observations allow a deeper level of analysis. Distances to the dominant scattering screen along the line of sight are determined and are shown to agree well with those inferred from other scintillation phenomena. Multiple imaging of the pulsar by the ISM is required. A compact central image surrounded by a faint scattering halo, roughly circularly symmetric, is consistent with the data. Scattering from filaments may also be consistent. The angular extent of the scattering material parallel to the direction of the pulsar velocity is roughly 5 mas, corresponding to a linear extent of about 2 AU. Further observations of these features should allow better discrimination between models and an identification of the scattering structures.

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