(ORDO NEWS) — Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), Chinese astronomers have studied unusual radiation from a pulsar called PSR B1859+07. The results of this study will help to better understand the anomalous radiation regimes observed in the case of some pulsars.
Pulsars are highly magnetized spinning neutron stars that emit a stream of electromagnetic radiation. They are usually detected in the form of short pulses of radio emission; however, some pulsars are also observed in the optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray bands.
Some pulsars exhibit radiation variability, ranging from extremely short bursts, such as giant pulses, to long-term changes in the radiation profile. In some cases, a change in the radiation regime has been observed, in which the radiation profile oscillates between two or more quasi-stable radiation regimes.
The pulsar PSR B1859+07 has a rotation period of approximately 0.64 seconds and a relatively high scattering value of 252.8 cubic centimeters per parsec. It is known that this pulsar demonstrates anomalous radiation behavior, consisting in radiation shifts to the early rotation phase and a change in the radiation regime in the normal phase.
To find out the reasons for this unusual behavior of the pulsar PSR B1859+07, a team led by Lin Wang (Lin Wang) from the laboratory of the FAST project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences decided to conduct broadband radio observations of the pulsar using the FAST telescope at frequencies of 0.4 gigahertz and 1.4 gigahertz.
The study confirmed three emission modes previously found by other studies, including the B (burst) mode, the Q (quiet) mode for unbiased pulses, and the shifted emission mode, showing quasi-periodicity over a 155-pulse interval.
In general, astronomers believe that unusual radiation shifting phenomena observed from this source may be the result of asymmetry in the radiation flux emitted by the pulsar, changes in the pulsar’s magnetosphere, or dynamic effects in the vicinity of this object.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.