1,811 research outputs found
The S2 VLBI Correlator: A Correlator for Space VLBI and Geodetic Signal Processing
We describe the design of a correlator system for ground and space-based
VLBI. The correlator contains unique signal processing functions: flexible LO
frequency switching for bandwidth synthesis; 1 ms dump intervals, multi-rate
digital signal-processing techniques to allow correlation of signals at
different sample rates; and a digital filter for very high resolution
cross-power spectra. It also includes autocorrelation, tone extraction, pulsar
gating, signal-statistics accumulation.Comment: 44 pages, 13 figure
Investigation of the Earth Ionosphere using the Radio Emission of Pulsars
The investigation of the Earth ionosphere both in a quiet and a disturbed
states is still desirable. Despite recent progress in its modeling and in
estimating the electron concentration along the line of sight by GPS signals,
the impact of the disturbed ionosphere and magnetic field on the wave
propagation still remains not sufficiently understood. This is due to lack of
information on the polarization of GPS signals, and due to poorly conditioned
models of the ionosphere at high altitudes and strong perturbations. In this
article we consider a possibility of using the data of pulsar radio emission,
along with the traditional GPS system data, for the vertical and oblique
sounding of the ionosphere. This approach also allows to monitor parameters of
the propagation medium, such as the dispersion measure and the rotation measure
using changes of the polarization between pulses. By using a selected pulsar
constellation it is possible to increase the number of directions in which
parameters of the ionosphere and the magnetic field can be estimated.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, Baltic Astronomy, vol.22, 53-65, 201
The H-test probability distribution revisited: Improved sensitivity
Aims: To provide a significantly improved probability distribution for the
H-test for periodicity in X-ray and -ray arrival times, which is
already extensively used by the -ray pulsar community. Also, to obtain
an analytical probability distribution for stacked test statistics in the case
of a search for pulsed emission from an ensemble of pulsars where the
significance per pulsar is relatively low, making individual detections
insignificant on their own. This information is timely given the recent rapid
discovery of new pulsars with the Fermi-LAT t -ray telescope. Methods:
Approximately realisations of the H-statistic () for random
(white) noise is calculated from a random number generator for which the
repitition cycle is . From these numbers the probability
distribution is calculated. Results: The distribution of is is
found to be exponential with parameter so that the cumulative
probability distribution . If we stack independent
values for , the sum of such values would follow the Erlang-K
distribution with parameter for which the cumulative probability
distribution is also a simple analytical expression. Conclusion: Searches for
weak pulsars with unknown pulse profile shapes in the Fermi-LAT, Agile or other
X-ray data bases should benefit from the {\it H-test} since it is known to be
powerful against a broad range of pulse profiles, which introduces only a
single statistical trial if only the {\it H-test} is used. The new probability
distribution presented here favours the detection of weaker pulsars in terms of
an improved sensitivity relative to the previously known distribution.Comment: 4 pages, two figures, to appear in Astronomy and Astrophysics,
Letter
Instantaneous Radio Spectra of Giant Pulses from the Crab Pulsar from Decimeter to Decameter Wavelengths
The results of simultaneous multifrequency observations of giant radio pulses
from the Crab pulsar, PSR B0531+21, at 23, 111, and 600 MHz are presented and
analyzed. Giant pulses were detected at a frequency as low as 23 MHz for the
first time. Of the 45 giant pulses detected at 23 MHz, 12 were identified with
counterparts observed simultaneously at 600 MHz. Of the 128 giant pulses
detected at 111 MHz, 21 were identified with counterparts observed
simultaneously at 600 MHz. The spectral indices for the power-law frequency
dependence of the giant-pulse energies are from -3.1 to -1.6. The mean spectral
index is -2.7 +/- 0.1 and is the same for both frequency combinations (600-111
MHz and 600-23 MHz). The large scatter in the spectral indices of the
individual pulses and the large number of unidentified giant pulses suggest
that the spectra of the individual giant pulses do not actually follow a simple
power law. The observed shapes of the giant pulses at all three frequencies are
determined by scattering on interstellar plasma irregularities. The scatter
broadening of the pulses and its frequency dependence were determined as
tau_sc=20*(f/100)^(-3.5 +/- 0.1) ms, where the frequency f is in MHz.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure, 1 table (originally published in Russian in
Astronomicheskii Zhurnal, 2006, vol. 83, No. 7, pp. 630-637), translated by
Georgii Rudnitski
Interplanetary navigation using pulsating radio sources
Radio beacons with distinguishing signatures exist in nature as pulsating radio sources (pulsars). These objects radiate well determined pulse trains over hundreds of megahertz of bandwidth at radio frequencies. Since they are at known positions, they can also be used as navigation beacons in interplanetary space. Pulsar signals are weak and dispersive when viewed from earth. If an omnidirectional antenna is connected to a wideband receiver (200 MHz bandwidth centered at 200 MHz) in which dispersion effects are removed, nominal spacecraft position errors of 1500 km can be obtained after 24 h of signal integration. An antenna gain of 10 db would produce errors as low as 150 km. Since the spacecraft position is determined from the measurement of the phase of a periodic signal, ambiguities occur in the position measurement. Simultaneous use of current spacecraft navigation schemes eliminates these ambiguities
Radio Astronomical Polarimetry and Point-Source Calibration
A mathematical framework is presented for use in the experimental
determination of the polarimetric response of observatory instrumentation.
Elementary principles of linear algebra are applied to model the full matrix
description of the polarization measurement equation by least-squares
estimation of non-linear, scalar parameters. The formalism is applied to
calibrate the center element of the Parkes Multibeam receiver using
observations of the millisecond pulsar, PSR J0437-4715, and the radio galaxy,
3C 218 (Hydra A).Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, to be published in ApJ
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