Timing Observations of Rotating Radio Transients

TL;DR

This paper provides high-precision timing solutions for seven RRATs, revealing their magnetic fields, periods, and potential links to other neutron star types, enhancing understanding of their emission mechanisms.

Contribution

It offers four new phase-connected timing solutions for RRATs, improving positional and rotational data, and compares their properties to other neutron star populations.

Findings

RRATs have longer periods than normal pulsars.

Some RRATs possess magnetic fields >10^13 G, similar to magnetars.

RRATs show no correlation between spin-down parameters.

Abstract

We present radio timing measurements of six rotating radio transient (RRAT) sources discovered in the Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey. These provide four new phase-connected timing solutions and two updated ones, making a total of seven of the original 11 reported RRATs now with high-precision rotational and astrometric parameters. Three of these seven RRATs have magnetic fields greater than 10^13 G, with spin-down properties similar to those of the magnetars and X-ray detected isolated neutron stars. Another two of these RRATs have long periods and large characteristic ages, and lie near the `death-line' for radio pulsar emission. The remaining two RRATs with timing solutions have properties typical of the bulk of the pulsar population. The new solutions offer insights into what might be responsible for the unusual emission properties. We demonstrate that the RRATs have significantly longer periods and higher magnetic fields than normal radio pulsars, and find no correlation with other spin-down parameters. These solutions also provide precise positions, which will facilitate follow-up studies at high energies, crucial for relating these sources with other neutron star populations.