Keywords

Aiming at the subband division of ultra-wide bandwidth low-frequency (UWL) signal (frequency coverage range: 704–4032 MHz) of the Xinjiang 110 m QiTai radio Telescope (QTT), a scheme of ultra-wide bandwidth signal is designed. First, we analyze the effect of different window functions such as the Hanning window, Hamming window, and Kaiser window on the performance of finite impulse response (FIR) digital filters, and implement a critical sampling polyphase filter bank (CS-PFB) based on the Hamming window FIR digital filter. Second, we generate 3328 MHz simulation data of ultra-wideband pulsar baseband in the frequency range of 704–4032 MHz using the ultra-wide bandwidth pulsar baseband data generation algorithm based on the 400 MHz bandwidth pulsar baseband data obtained from Parkes CASPSR observations. Third, we obtain 26 subbands of 128 MHz based on CS-PFB and the simulation data, and the pulse profile of each subband by coherent dispersion, integration, and folding. Finally, the phase of each subband pulse profile is aligned by non-coherent dedispersion, and to generate a broadband pulse profile, which is basically the same as the pulse profile obtained from the original data using DSPSR. The experimental results show that the scheme for the QTT UWL receiving system is feasible, and the proposed channel algorithm in this paper is effective.

The mode switching phenomenon of PSR J0614+2229 was studied using the archived observations at 686, 1369, and 3100 MHz with the Parkes radio telescope that have not been published before, and combining existing observations from the literature. Over a wide frequency range from 327 to 3100 MHz, the pulsar switches between one mode occurring earlier in pulse phase (mode A) and the other mode appearing later in phase (mode B), with a generally frequency-independent phase offset between their profile peaks. The two modes are found to be different in the following aspects. (1) Mode A has a flatter spectrum than mode B, with a difference in the spectral index of about 0.5. This accounts for the phenomenon that the flux ratio between the modes A and B increases with frequency, and mode A becomes stronger than mode B above ∼500 MHz. (2) For mode B, the flux density of the subintegrated profile is anticorrelated with the emission phase, indicating that the emission from earlier phases is relatively stronger than that from later phases; such an anticorrelation is not observed in mode A. (3) The frequency dependence of the FWHM of the two modes are opposite each other; namely, the FWHM of mode A increases with frequency, while that of mode B decreases with frequency. A possible interpretation is suggested: the longitudinal spectral variation across the two beams may be opposites of each other.

SGR J1745-2900 was detected from its outburst activity in 2013 April and it was the first soft gamma repeater (SGR) detected near the center of the Galaxy (Sagittarius A*). We use 3.5 yr Chandra X-ray light-curve data to constrain some neutron star (NS) geometric parameters. We assume that the flux modulation comes from hot spots on the stellar surface. Our model includes the NS mass, radius, a maximum of three spots of any size, temperature and positions, and general relativistic effects. We find that the light curve of SGR J1745-2900 could be described by either two or three hot spots. The ambiguity is due to the small amount of data, but our analysis suggests that one should not disregard the possibility of multi-spots (due to a multipolar magnetic field) in highly magnetized stars. For the case of three hot spots, we find that they should be large and have angular semiapertures ranging from 16° to 67°. The large size found for the spots points to a magnetic field with a nontrivial poloidal and toroidal structure (in accordance with magnetohydrodynamics investigations and Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer's (NICER) recent findings for PSR J0030+0451) and is consistent with the small characteristic age of the star. Finally, we also discuss possible constraints on the mass and radius of SGR J1745-2900 and briefly envisage possible scenarios accounting for the 3.5 yr evolution of SGR J1745-290 hot spots.

We calculate the dispersion measure (DM) contributed by the intergalactic medium (IGM) to the total measured DM for fast radio bursts (FRBs). We use the MareNostrum Instituto de Ciencias del Espacio (MICE) Onion Universe simulation to track the evolution of the dark matter particle density over a large range of redshifts. We convert this dark matter particle number density to the corresponding free electron density and then integrate it to find the DM as a function of redshift. This approach yields an intergalactic DM of ${\mathrm{DM}}_{\mathrm{IGM}}(z=1)={800}_{-170}^{+7000}$ pc cm⁻³, with the large errors representative of the structure in the IGM. We place limits on the redshifts of the current population of observed FRBs. We also use our results to estimate the host galaxy contribution to the DM for the first repeater, FRB 121102, and show that the most probable host galaxy DM contribution, ${\mathrm{DM}}_{\mathrm{host}}\approx 310$ pc cm⁻³, is consistent with the estimate made using the Balmer emission lines in the spectrum of the host galaxy, ${\mathrm{DM}}_{\mathrm{Balmer}}=324$ pc cm⁻³. We also compare our predictions for the host galaxy contribution to the DM for the observations of FRB 180924 and FRB 190523, both of which have been localized to a host galaxy.

The properties of fast radio bursts (FRBs) indicate that the physical origin of this type of astrophysical phenomenon is related to neutron stars. The first detected repeating source, FRB 121102, is associated with a persistent radio counterpart. In this paper, we propose that this radio counterpart could arise from a pulsar wind nebula powered by a magnetar without surrounding supernova ejecta. Its medium is a stratified structure produced by a progenitor wind. The model parameters are constrained by the spectrum of the counterpart emission, the size of the nebula, and the large but decreasing rotation measure (RM) of the repeating bursts. In addition, the observed dispersion measure is consistent with the assumption that all of the RM comes from the shocked medium.

The first detected gravitational wave GW170817 from a binary neutron star merger is associated with an important optical transient AT 2017gfo, which is a direct observation of kilonova. Recent observations suggest that the remnant compact object of the binary neutron star merger associated with GW170817/GRB 170817A may be a stable long-lived magnetized neutron star. In this situation, there would be a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) embedded inside the dynamic ejecta. The PWN emission may be absorbed by the ejecta or leak out of the system. We study the effect of the PWN emission on the observed light curves and radiation spectra. Different from previous works, the absorption and leakage of the PWN emission are all involved in our model, where the absorption of the PWN emission heats up the ejecta and alters its radiation. It is found that the characteristic emission of the embedded PWN quickly evolves. For the multiband and long-term observations of AT 2017gfo, we find that the dynamic ejecta with a PWN emission can fit the observational data very well, especially for the light curves at t ∼ 5 days and those in the late phase. In addition, our model can naturally generate the thermal to nonthermal spectrum evolution of AT 2017gfo. Our fitting result suggests that a PWN is embedded in the AT 2017gfo.

Rotational glitches in some rotation-powered pulsars display power-law size and exponential waiting-time distributions. These statistics are consistent with a state-dependent Poisson process, where the glitch rate is an increasing function of a global stress variable (e.g., crust-superfluid angular velocity lag), diverges at a threshold stress, increases smoothly while the star spins down, and decreases step-wise at each glitch. A minimal, seven-parameter, maximum likelihood model is calculated for PSR J1740−3015, PSR J0534+2200, and PSR J0631+1036, the three objects with the largest samples whose glitch activity is Poisson-like. The estimated parameters have theoretically reasonable values and contain useful information about the glitch microphysics. It is shown that the maximum likelihood, state-dependent Poisson model is a marginally (23%–27%) better post factum "predictor" of historical glitch epochs than a homogeneous Poisson process for PSR J1740−3015 and PSR J0631+1036 and a comparable predictor for PSR J0534+2200. Monte Carlo simulations imply that ≳50 glitches are needed to test reliably whether one model outperforms the other. It is predicted that the next glitch will occur at Modified Julian Date (MJD) 57,784 ± 256.8, 60,713 ± 1935, and 57,406 ± 1444 for the above three objects, respectively. The analysis does not apply to quasiperiodic glitchers like PSR J0537−6910 and PSR J0835−4510, which are not described accurately by the state-dependent Poisson model in its original form.

We present a source catalog from the first deep hard X-ray (E > 10 keV) survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) Legacy Survey of the SMC. We observed three fields, for a total exposure time of 1 Ms, along the bar of this nearby star-forming galaxy. Fields were chosen for their young stellar and accreting binary populations. We detected 10 sources above a 3σ significance level (4–25 keV) and obtained upper limits on an additional 40 sources. We reached a 3σ limiting luminosity in the 4–25 keV band of ∼10³⁵ erg s⁻¹, allowing us to probe fainter X-ray binary (XRB) populations than has been possible with other extragalactic NuSTAR surveys. We used hard X-ray colors and luminosities to constrain the compact-object type, exploiting the spectral differences between accreting black holes and neutron stars at E > 10 keV. Several of our sources demonstrate variability consistent with previously observed behavior. We confirmed pulsations for seven pulsars in our 3σ sample. We present the first detection of pulsations from a Be-XRB, SXP 305 (CXO J005215.4–73191), with an X-ray pulse period of 305.69 ± 0.16 s and a likely orbital period of ∼1160–1180 days. Bright sources (≳5 × 10³⁶ erg s⁻¹) in our sample have compact-object classifications consistent with their previously reported types in the literature. Lower-luminosity sources (≲5 × 10³⁶ erg s⁻¹) have X-ray colors and luminosities consistent with multiple classifications. We raise questions about possible spectral differences at low luminosity between SMC pulsars and the Galactic pulsars used to create the diagnostic diagrams.

If the progenitor of GW170817 harbored a pulsar, then a Poynting flux dominated bow-shock cavity would have been expected to form around the traveling binary. The characteristic size of this evacuated region depends strongly on the spin-down evolution of the pulsar companion, which in turn depends on the merging timescale of the system. If this evacuated region is able to grow to a sufficiently large scale, then the deceleration of the jet, and thus the onset of the afterglow, would be noticeably delayed. The first detection of afterglow emission, which was uncovered 9.2 days after the γ-ray burst trigger, can thus be used to constrain the size of a preexisting pulsar-wind cavity. We use this information, together with a model of the jet to place limits on the presence of a pulsar in GW170817 and discuss the derived constraints in the context of the observed double neutron star binary population. We find that the majority of Galactic systems that are close enough to merge within a Hubble time would have carved a discernibly large pulsar-wind cavity, inconsistent with the onset timescale of the X-ray afterglow of GW170817. Conversely, the recently detected system J1913+1102, which hosts a low-luminosity pulsar, provides a congruous Milky Way analog of GW170817's progenitor model. This study highlights the potential of the proposed observational test for gaining insight into the origin of double neutron star binaries, in particular if the properties of Galactic systems are representative of the overall merging population.

We report on optical observations of the Katsuda et al. candidate X-ray pulsar and pulsar wind nebula in the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant. We determine that the point source suggested to be a pulsar is actually the nucleus of a Seyfert 1 galaxy at redshift z = 0.2080, while the diffuse X-ray source, which is displaced by 26 from the point source, is a cluster of galaxies at z = 0.223. We also analyze an archival follow-up XMM-Newton observation of this field, the results of which support our extragalactic identifications. Thus, a long expected neutron star remnant of the Cygnus Loop explosion remains elusive.