Wide profile drifting pulsars : an elegant way to probe pulsar magnetospheres

TL;DR

This study uses high-sensitivity, multi-frequency observations of wide profile pulsars to analyze their drifting subpulses, revealing phase-locked drift patterns across emission rings and identifying the fastest known carousel rotation period, which constrains pulsar emission models.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of multiple drift regions in wide profile pulsars and resolves aliasing issues to determine the fastest carousel rotation period.

Findings

Multiple drift regions are phase locked across emission rings.

The carousel rotation period for PSR B0818-41 is approximately 10 seconds.

Results support a pan-magnetospheric emission mechanism.

Abstract

We present the results from a study of wide profile pulsars using high sensitivity multifrequency observations with the GMRT. Since the line of sight samples a large region of the polar cap in case of the wide profile pulsars, presence of simultaneous multiple drift regions is quite probable (as seen in PSR B0826-34 and PSR B0818-41). We solve the aliasing problem of PSR B0818-41 using the observed phase relationship of the drift regions, and determine its pattern rotation period P4 to be ~ 10s, which makes it the fastest known carousel. We find that, for all the pulsars showing drifting in multiple rings of emission, the drift pattern from the rings are phase locked. This can constraint the theoretical models of pulsar emission as it favors a pan magnetospeheric radiation mechanism.