Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 156 |
| Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
| Volume | 901 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 5 Oct 2020 |
Abstract
It is difficult to discover pulsars via their gamma-ray emission because current instruments typically detect fewer than one photon per million rotations. This creates a significant computing challenge for isolated pulsars, where the typical parameter search space spans wide ranges in four dimensions. It is even more demanding when the pulsar is in a binary system, where the orbital motion introduces several additional unknown parameters. Building on earlier work by Pletsch & Clark, we present optimal methods for such searches. These can also incorporate external constraints on the parameter space to be searched, for example, from optical observations of a presumed binary companion. The solution has two parts. The first is the construction of optimal search grids in parameter space via a parameter space metric, for initial semicoherent searches and subsequent fully coherent follow-ups. The second is a method to demodulate and detect the periodic pulsations. These methods have different sensitivity properties than traditional radio searches for binary pulsars and might unveil new populations of pulsars.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Space and Planetary Science
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In: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 901, No. 2, 156, 05.10.2020.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploiting orbital constraints from optical data to detect binary gamma-Ray pulsars
AU - Nieder, L.
AU - Allen, Bruce
AU - Clark, C. J.
AU - Pletsch, H. J.
PY - 2020/10/5
Y1 - 2020/10/5
N2 - It is difficult to discover pulsars via their gamma-ray emission because current instruments typically detect fewer than one photon per million rotations. This creates a significant computing challenge for isolated pulsars, where the typical parameter search space spans wide ranges in four dimensions. It is even more demanding when the pulsar is in a binary system, where the orbital motion introduces several additional unknown parameters. Building on earlier work by Pletsch & Clark, we present optimal methods for such searches. These can also incorporate external constraints on the parameter space to be searched, for example, from optical observations of a presumed binary companion. The solution has two parts. The first is the construction of optimal search grids in parameter space via a parameter space metric, for initial semicoherent searches and subsequent fully coherent follow-ups. The second is a method to demodulate and detect the periodic pulsations. These methods have different sensitivity properties than traditional radio searches for binary pulsars and might unveil new populations of pulsars.
AB - It is difficult to discover pulsars via their gamma-ray emission because current instruments typically detect fewer than one photon per million rotations. This creates a significant computing challenge for isolated pulsars, where the typical parameter search space spans wide ranges in four dimensions. It is even more demanding when the pulsar is in a binary system, where the orbital motion introduces several additional unknown parameters. Building on earlier work by Pletsch & Clark, we present optimal methods for such searches. These can also incorporate external constraints on the parameter space to be searched, for example, from optical observations of a presumed binary companion. The solution has two parts. The first is the construction of optimal search grids in parameter space via a parameter space metric, for initial semicoherent searches and subsequent fully coherent follow-ups. The second is a method to demodulate and detect the periodic pulsations. These methods have different sensitivity properties than traditional radio searches for binary pulsars and might unveil new populations of pulsars.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092604140&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3847/1538-4357/abaf53
DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/abaf53
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85092604140
VL - 901
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
SN - 0004-637X
IS - 2
M1 - 156
ER -