This project will study the sizes and shapes of pulsar emission regions, using interstellar scattering as a lens. It will derive the sizes and elongations of the emission region of the Vela pulsar as a function of pulse phase, providing images or a short movie over sizes of a few hundred kilometers, and improving understanding of pulsar emission. The project will advance the mathematical description of signals from a scattered source, and should lead to improvements in correlators. The work includes 1) installing a software correlator to study and correct for effects of de-dispersion, digitization, and pulsar gating; 2) improving and extending mathematical models for the intensity and interferometric visibility of small scintillating sources, including the effects of noise; 3) measuring the variation of source size, elongation, and position angle as a function of pulse phase, for the Vela pulsar; and 4) measuring, or at least setting limits on, the sizes of emission regions of older, slower pulsars.

This work will form the bulk of a graduate student's thesis, and will include undergraduate physics majors via theses and summer projects. Through a weekend science program, the project will also introduce local high-school students to conversion of sound to electricity and back, and to signal processing by computer to supplement the ear and brain in deciphering sound.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
1008865
Program Officer
Nigel Sharp
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2010-10-01
Budget End
2016-09-30
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$265,469
Indirect Cost
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