Pulsar Data Analysis Team Lyne

1. Pulsar Data Analysis Team Lyne Delaney Pigott, Thomas Hillenbrand, Zach Ramey, Mariah Gnegy, Elizabeth Schmitz, Dana Dawley Task Our task was to look through 15 datasets and decide whether the given plots were noise, RFI, or a possible pulsar candidate. RFI Pulsar Candidates RFI, or radio frequency interference is a man made source of interference from any object that gives off radio waves, such as televisions, cell phones, cameras etc. RFI only comes across at one frequency so RFI is identified when there are sharp dots or “snake bites” on the sub-band plot. This was a previously found pulsar in our data sets. However, because it is relatively new, it is not in the catalog therefore a good candidate to follow up . Noise Noise is a radio signal from space that is not a pulsar. Some things that identify plots as noise include long error bars, no identifiable vertical bins in the time domain or sub-band plots, and a low reduced x2 value. The dark marks horizontally on the sub-band plot are indicative of RFI. Pulsars Pulsars are highly magnetized neutron stars that give out a beam of electromagnetic radiation. This resembles the image of a light house beacon. Pulsars can be identified by sharp, defined peaks in the pulse profile, defined vertical lines in the time domain and sub-band plots, a high reduced x2 value, and a DM plot that resembles a bell curve. This was an unknown potential candidate . It met all the criteria for a pulsar. Complications Our allotted time with the GBT was unfortunately not within the viewing time of the above pulsar candidates. We had two known pulsars within our time frame. However, when we arrived at the GBT, we experienced some technical difficulty which resulted in a plot of RFI rather than a pulsar. This is an excellent example of noise. As you can see, the error bar is large and there are no defined lines. Overall Results This is a previously found pulsar. The plot demonstrates defined peaks, prominent vertical lines in the time domain and sub-band plots, and a perfect bell curve. This plot, in addition to having a huge error bar has no defined lines and a reduced x2 value of barely .1.