A Quest for Pulsars An In-depth Analysis of Radio Astronomy

1. A Quest for Pulsars An In-depth Analysis of Radio Astronomy 500 Jy ~33 Jy Team Disney Alan Booth,Susan Chen, Blake Delle Fave, Madison Doehler, Yekaterina Gilbo 40 Ft. Telescope Results Analysis Cont. Example of RFI (from PSC Database) Looks like a pulsar candidate except for the frequency graph. Shows narrowband ‘snake bites’ indicating a man made object from one source. MissionStatement • To gain proficiency in the analysis of radio datasets, in order to identify pulsar candidates for the study of gravitational waves. Introduction Radio astronomy is the study of electromagnetic emissions from celestial bodies. To collect data, researchers aim radio telescopes at various locations in space , known as pointings, to search for signals. However, man-made objects, such as telephone lines, also produce electromagnetic waves which interfere with the frequency of the waves. As such, researchers must sort through pointings and eliminate radio frequency interference and noise from the results to find pulsars, a type of rapidly rotating neutron star. Forty-foot Telescope Object: Galaxy 3c 295 Distance: 5.6 billion light years or 1.73 billion pc RA: 14:09:33 DEC: 52:26:13 *Actual Jansky (brightness) is 23 JY *The galaxy appeared earlier than expected; we were not able to view the entire galaxy. • Completed Prerequisites • Understand the concept of radio astronomy using a 40ft telescope • Analyze the signal of Galaxy 3C 295 • Brief Intro to Gravitational Waves and Electromagnetic Waves • Intro to Stellar Evolution • Distinguish pulsars from noise and RFI (interference) • Review 15 pointings (525 datasets) GBT Results • Analysis • Examples of Noise (from PSC Database) • Pulse profile: No specific and clean pulses. • Chi squared: Relatively low. X2 <2 • Frequency: Narrowband because there is one horizontal band of strong signal. • Dispersion Measure: DM is larger than 0 which is fine • Phase vs. Time: Jagged, erratic slope Candidates chosen for GBT: 19:21-16:11, 22:43+69:39, 21:07-16:12 Conclusion Despite our best efforts, problems still occurred. As such, the researchers were forced to be prepared for any situations It was extremely important, while examining data, to be open minded and through in approach. We believe that for future trials and research, longer and earlier start times should be used to attain a better dataset. Also, datasets should not be dismissed immediately as noise, as there may be underlying trends. The students of the Pulsar Search Collaboratory will continue their analysis of pointings and datasets, well through the next year. • Identifying Pulsar Candidates • Examine the characteristics of pulse datasets: Our sun Candidates 19:21-16:11 and 21:07-16:12 were both observed to be noise. 22:43+69:39 could not be viewed due to circumstances. Chi squared: Term used to determine probability of being a pulsar • Frequencies: Must be a Broadband Range for Pulsars Pulse profile: periodic and distinguishable from noise • Acknowledgements • Sue Ann Heatherly • Sean Leake and all student mentors • Sarah Scoles • TO ALL TEACHERS! • Duncan and Maura • Ryan Lynch • The GBT for being the coolest telescope EVER • NRAO for making this possible and tolerating us in our wildest moments  Dispersion Measure: Number of electrons between earth and the object; DM peak >0 Phase vs. Time: Corresponds with pulse profile. Known Pulsar J01:08 -14:31