An image-based search for pulsars among Fermi unassociated LAT sources

We describe an image-based method that uses two radio criteria, compactness, and spectral index, to identify promising pulsar candidates among Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) unassociated sources. These criteria are applied to those radio sources from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope all-sky sur...

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Main Authors: Frail, D., Ray, P., Mooley, K., Hancock, Paul, Burnett, T., Jagannathan, P., Ferrara, E., Intema, H., de Gasperin, F., Demorest, P., Stovall, K., McKinnon, M.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Oxford University Press 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/70995
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author Frail, D.
Ray, P.
Mooley, K.
Hancock, Paul
Burnett, T.
Jagannathan, P.
Ferrara, E.
Intema, H.
de Gasperin, F.
Demorest, P.
Stovall, K.
McKinnon, M.
author_facet Frail, D.
Ray, P.
Mooley, K.
Hancock, Paul
Burnett, T.
Jagannathan, P.
Ferrara, E.
Intema, H.
de Gasperin, F.
Demorest, P.
Stovall, K.
McKinnon, M.
author_sort Frail, D.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description We describe an image-based method that uses two radio criteria, compactness, and spectral index, to identify promising pulsar candidates among Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) unassociated sources. These criteria are applied to those radio sources from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope all-sky survey at 150 MHz (TGSS ADR1) found within the error ellipses of unassociated sources from the 3FGL catalogue and a preliminary source list based on 7 yr of LAT data. After follow-up interferometric observations to identify extended or variable sources, a list of 16 compact, steep-spectrum candidates is generated. An ongoing search for pulsations in these candidates, in gamma rays and radio, has found 6 ms pulsars and one normal pulsar. A comparison of this method with existing selection criteria based on gamma-ray spectral and variability properties suggests that the pulsar discovery space using Fermi may be larger than previously thought. Radio imaging is a hitherto underutilized source selection method that can be used, as with other multiwavelength techniques, in the search for Fermi pulsars.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-709952019-02-14T07:14:45Z An image-based search for pulsars among Fermi unassociated LAT sources Frail, D. Ray, P. Mooley, K. Hancock, Paul Burnett, T. Jagannathan, P. Ferrara, E. Intema, H. de Gasperin, F. Demorest, P. Stovall, K. McKinnon, M. We describe an image-based method that uses two radio criteria, compactness, and spectral index, to identify promising pulsar candidates among Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) unassociated sources. These criteria are applied to those radio sources from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope all-sky survey at 150 MHz (TGSS ADR1) found within the error ellipses of unassociated sources from the 3FGL catalogue and a preliminary source list based on 7 yr of LAT data. After follow-up interferometric observations to identify extended or variable sources, a list of 16 compact, steep-spectrum candidates is generated. An ongoing search for pulsations in these candidates, in gamma rays and radio, has found 6 ms pulsars and one normal pulsar. A comparison of this method with existing selection criteria based on gamma-ray spectral and variability properties suggests that the pulsar discovery space using Fermi may be larger than previously thought. Radio imaging is a hitherto underutilized source selection method that can be used, as with other multiwavelength techniques, in the search for Fermi pulsars. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/70995 10.1093/mnras/stx3281 Oxford University Press fulltext
spellingShingle Frail, D.
Ray, P.
Mooley, K.
Hancock, Paul
Burnett, T.
Jagannathan, P.
Ferrara, E.
Intema, H.
de Gasperin, F.
Demorest, P.
Stovall, K.
McKinnon, M.
An image-based search for pulsars among Fermi unassociated LAT sources
title An image-based search for pulsars among Fermi unassociated LAT sources
title_full An image-based search for pulsars among Fermi unassociated LAT sources
title_fullStr An image-based search for pulsars among Fermi unassociated LAT sources
title_full_unstemmed An image-based search for pulsars among Fermi unassociated LAT sources
title_short An image-based search for pulsars among Fermi unassociated LAT sources
title_sort image-based search for pulsars among fermi unassociated lat sources
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/70995