Dr. Stinebring and his Oberlin College undergraduate students will build on their previous discovery in pulsar timing spectra that a crisscross pattern that had been noticed for decades in dynamic spectra has a much clearer signature in transform space. This group has now studied this scintillation arc phenomenon extensively, using high dynamic range observations of pulsars obtained with large radio telescopes around the world. The research under this award will explore this phenomenon in detail using high-sensitivity observations from the Arecibo radio telescope and other large telescopes such as the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Green Bank Telescope. One goal of this work is to connect the detailed observations of scintillation arcs with the physical characteristics of turbulent gas in the ionized interstellar medium. The other goal is to use what is learned about scintillation details to correct for the effects of scattering on pulsar timing signals in order to assist in the detection of gravitational waves.
This research will benefit the greater scientific community by advancing our knowledge about the Milky Way galaxy and by improving our chances of detecting gravitational waves. Both of these topics are of interest not only to specialists, but to a much wider audience as well. This research program will also involve undergraduate students. By working closely with Dr. Stinebring and his collaborators, the students will gain a broad range of technical skills as well as further develop their ability to independently explore scientific problems. The students will have the opportunity to use state-of-the-art electronics and computers at the largest radio telescopes in the world. Opportunities to collaborate with scientists in the U.S. and abroad and to report their work at conferences and in publications will enhance the student research experience and prepare them for graduate training or other roles in the technical workforce.
