LOFAR discovery of a quiet emission mode in PSR B0823+26

Sobey C, Young NJ, Hessels JWT, Weltevrede P, Noutsos A, Stappers BW, Kramer M, Bassa C, Lyne AG, Kondratiev VI, Hassall TE, Keane EF, Bilous AV, Breton RP, Griessmeier JM, Karastergiou A, Pilia M, Serylak M, Ter Veen S, Van Leeuwen J, Alexov A, Anderson J, Asgekar A, Avruch IM, Bell ME, Bentum MJ, Bernardi G, Best P, Birzan L, Bonafede A, Breitling F, Broderick J, Brueggen M, Corstanje A, Carbone D, De Geus E, De Vos M, Van Duin A, Duscha S, Eisloeffel J, Falcke H, Fallows RA, Fender R, Ferrari C, Frieswijk W, Garrett MA, Gunst AW, Hamaker JP, Heald G, Hoeft M, Horandel J, Juette E, Kuper G, Maat P, Mann G, Markoff S, Mcfadden R, Mckay-Bukowski D, Mckean JP, Mulcahy DD, Munk H, Nelles A, Norden MJ, Orru E, Paas H, Pandey-Pommier M, Pandey VN, Pietka G, Pizzo R, Polatidis AG, Rafferty D, Renting A, Rottgering H, Rowlinson A, Scaife AMM, Schwarz D, Sluman J, Smirnov O, Steinmetz M, Stewart A, Swinbank J, Tagger M, Tang Y, Tasse C, Thoudam S, Toribio C, Vermeulen R, Vocks C, Van Weeren RJ, Wijers RAMJ, Wise MW, Wucknitz O, Yatawatta S, Zarka P (2015)

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2015

Journal

Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS

Book Volume: 451

Pages Range: 2493-2506

Journal Issue: 3

DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stv1066

Abstract

PSR B0823+26, a 0.53-s radio pulsar, displays a host of emission phenomena over time-scales of seconds to (at least) hours, including nulling, subpulse drifting, and mode-changing. Studying pulsars like PSR B0823+26 provides further insight into the relationship between these various emission phenomena and what they might teach us about pulsar magnetospheres. Here we report on the LOFAR (Low-Frequency Array) discovery that PSR B0823+26 has a weak and sporadically emitting 'quiet' (Q) emission mode that is over 100 times weaker (on average) and has a nulling fraction forty-times greater than that of the more regularly-emitting 'bright' (B) mode. Previously, the pulsar has been undetected in the Q mode, and was assumed to be nulling continuously. PSR B0823+26 shows a further decrease in average flux just before the transition into the B mode, and perhaps truly turns off completely at these times. Furthermore, simultaneous observations taken with the LOFAR, Westerbork, Lovell, and Effelsberg telescopes between 110 MHz and 2.7 GHz demonstrate that the transition between the Q mode and B mode occurs within one single rotation of the neutron star, and that it is concurrent across the range of frequencies observed.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) United States (USA) (US) Astron Netherlands (NL) University of the Western Cape (UWC) South Africa (ZA) Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum - GFZ Germany (DE) Radboud University Nijmegen Netherlands (NL) University of Southampton United Kingdom (GB) Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg (TLS) - Karl-Schwarzschild-Observatorium Germany (DE) University of Amsterdam Netherlands (NL) Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) Germany (DE) University of Groningen / Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Netherlands (NL) Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie / Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy Germany (DE) Leiden University Netherlands (NL) Universität Hamburg (UHH) Germany (DE) Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Australia (AU) University of Nice Sophia Antipolis / Université Nice Sophia Antipolis France (FR) Harvard University United States (USA) (US) University of Oxford United Kingdom (GB) Observatoire de Lyon France (FR) PSL Research University / Université de recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres France (FR) Rhodes University South Africa (ZA) Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam / Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam Germany (DE) University of Manchester United Kingdom (GB) University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) South Africa (ZA) Oulun Yliopisto / University of Oulo Finland (FI) Universität Bielefeld Germany (DE) Swinburne University of Technology Australia (AU) Netherlands Institute for Space Research / Stichting Ruimteonderzoek Nederland (SRON) Netherlands (NL) University of Orléans / Université d'Orléans France (FR) University of Edinburgh United Kingdom (GB)

How to cite

APA:

Sobey, C., Young, N.J., Hessels, J.W.T., Weltevrede, P., Noutsos, A., Stappers, B.W.,... Zarka, P. (2015). LOFAR discovery of a quiet emission mode in PSR B0823+26. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 451(3), 2493-2506. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stv1066

MLA:

Sobey, Charlotte, et al. "LOFAR discovery of a quiet emission mode in PSR B0823+26." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 451.3 (2015): 2493-2506.

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