Observations of Crab Giant Pulses in 20-84 MHz using LWA1

TL;DR

This study reports the detection and analysis of Crab pulsar giant pulses in the 20-84 MHz range using LWA1, providing new insights into their characteristics and frequency-dependent behavior.

Contribution

First observation of Crab giant pulses in this low-frequency range with detailed analysis of their properties and detection procedures.

Findings

33 giant pulses detected in 10 hours of observation

Pulse broadening observed but within expected levels

Amplitude distribution aligns with higher and lower frequency extrapolations

Abstract

We report the detection and observed characteristics of giant pulses from the Crab Nebula pulsar (B0531+21) in four frequency bands covering 20-84 MHz using the recently-completed Long Wavelength Array Station 1 (LWA1) radio telescope. In 10 hours of observations distributed over a 72-day period in Fall of 2012, 33 giant pulses having peak flux densities between 400 Jy and 2000 Jy were detected. Twenty-two of these pulses were detected simultaneously in channels of 16 MHz bandwidth centered at 44 MHz, 60 MHz, and 76 MHz, including one pulse which was also detected in a channel centered at 28 MHz. We quantify statistics of pulse amplitude and pulse shape characteristics, including pulse broadening. Amplitude statistics are consistent with expectations based on extrapolations from previous work at higher and lower frequencies. Pulse broadening is found to be relatively high, but not significantly greater than expected. We present procedures that have been found to be effective for observing giant pulses in this frequency range.