Multi-method Timing of Transient Radio Pulsars with the GBT350 and GBNCC Surveys

Abstract We present the timing solutions for three radio pulsars discovered with the Green Bank North Celestial Cap and 350 MHz Green Bank Telescope drift-scan surveys. These pulsars were initially discovered through their single-pulse emissions and are therefore designated as rotating radio transients (RRATs). Follow-up timing campaigns yielded a number of higher signal-to-noise summed pulse profiles for each pulsar, allowing us to obtain timing solutions both through single pulses as well as the standard method of time-integrating the pulsar’s emission. We find that the two methods return timing parameters that are usually in agreement within two standard deviations and have similar-sized error bars. The single-pulse timing solutions have significantly higher rms errors and reduced chi-squared values, likely due to pulse jitter. The distribution of wait times between detected single pulses indicates a significant amount of pulse clustering in time on short timescales from all three sources. For all sources, the presence of low-level emissions outside of the sparse bright pulses and the lack of giant pulses is more reminiscent of highly nulling canonical radio pulsars than extremely transient RRATs, highlighting the diversity of emission behavior observed from sources published as RRATs.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Published
2026-04-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae561d
Primary Topic
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
Type
article
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article

Multi-method Timing of Transient Radio Pulsars with the GBT350 and GBNCC Surveys

Pragya Chawla, Alan J. Rowe, J. Boyles, E. Parent et al.
The Astrophysical Journal
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
article

Multi-method Timing of Transient Radio Pulsars with the GBT350 and GBNCC Surveys

Pragya Chawla, Alan J. Rowe, J. Boyles, E. Parent, Alexander McEwen, L. Levin, C. Karako-Argaman, M. A. McLaughlin, Timothy Dolch, S. M. Ransom, J. Thorley, David L. Kaplan, V. M. Kaspi, José Martinez, Ryan S. Lynch, Ingrid H. Stairs, Evan F. Lewis, R. Spiewak, Kevin Stovall, Jason W. T. Hessels, V. I. Kondratiev, Joseph K. Swiggum, Harsha Blumer, J. van Leeuwen, M. S. Roberts, Rossina B. Miller
article en

Abstract

Abstract We present the timing solutions for three radio pulsars discovered with the Green Bank North Celestial Cap and 350 MHz Green Bank Telescope drift-scan surveys. These pulsars were initially discovered through their single-pulse emissions and are therefore designated as rotating radio transients (RRATs). Follow-up timing campaigns yielded a number of higher signal-to-noise summed pulse profiles for each pulsar, allowing us to obtain timing solutions both through single pulses as well as the standard method of time-integrating the pulsar’s emission. We find that the two methods return timing parameters that are usually in agreement within two standard deviations and have similar-sized error bars. The single-pulse timing solutions have significantly higher rms errors and reduced chi-squared values, likely due to pulse jitter. The distribution of wait times between detected single pulses indicates a significant amount of pulse clustering in time on short timescales from all three sources. For all sources, the presence of low-level emissions outside of the sparse bright pulses and the lack of giant pulses is more reminiscent of highly nulling canonical radio pulsars than extremely transient RRATs, highlighting the diversity of emission behavior observed from sources published as RRATs.

The Astrophysical JournalVol. 1001(2)
West Virginia University (US), Institute of Space Sciences (ES), University of British Columbia (CA), Lafayette College (US), National Radio Astronomy Observatory (US), West Virginia University Hospitals (US), University of Manchester (GB), Hillsdale College (US), Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (ES), Eureka Scientific (US), Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (DE), University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (US), McGill University (CA), University of Amsterdam (NL), Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (NL), Western Kentucky University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 98%
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
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