Low Frequency Study of Rotating Radio Transients
Abstract
Rotating Radio Transients are a type of radio emitting pulsar, first discovered in 2006, that, while possessing similar pulse widths and pulse intensities to those of regular pulsars, differ from the pulsars observed thus far due to their exhibiting a variability in the emission of their individual pulses - the pulses of RRATs are only emitted intermittently, and individual pulses are found to be emitted on timescales ranging from a few seconds up to a few hours apart. The origin of this transient nature has yet to be determined and some suggest that pulsars may not simply shut off when they near the point that they can no longer emit, but might pulse erratically and exhibit transient behavior, making them RRATs. Alternate theories posit that the RRAT transient behavior is a geometric effect and RRATs may be fundamentally similar to nulling pulsars. Additionally, interactions with a debris field may temporarily reactivate a pulsar causing it to become a RRAT.There are nearly 100 known RRATs, and it has been predicted that the number of RRATs detected in surveys may only be a small percentage of the actual number that are present in the regions studied in those surveys. If the nature of RRATs is fundamentally similar to those of regular or nulling pulsars, the total number of radio emitting pulsars may be higher than previously predicted, and RRATs may play an important role in in our understanding of the emission mechanism of pulsars and the supernova rate of our galaxy.We present preliminary results from a survey of RRATs at 30 - 80 MHz undertaken with the first station of the Long Wavelength Array (LWA1). To date very little is known about the properties of RRATs at these low frequencies. Our study aims to determine a variety of the as yet unknown properties of RRATs, such as their pulse shapes, spectral flux densities, and spectral indices. Additional benefits will be finding more accurate values for the dispersion measures and finding timing solutions for newly discovered RRATs. Such information may help place constraints on the theories for the emission mechanisms for the RRAT transient behavior, thereby illuminating their origin and their relation to both regular and nulling pulsars.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #225
- Pub Date:
- January 2015
- Bibcode:
- 2015AAS...22542105M