Two radio-emission mechanisms in PSR J0901-4624

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of sporadic bright radio pulses from PSR J0901-4624, revealing two emission mechanisms with distinct properties, including a secondary giant-micropulse process likely originating from a different magnetospheric region.

Contribution

It identifies and characterizes a secondary giant-micropulse emission mechanism in PSR J0901-4624, distinct from the persistent emission, with detailed polarization and energy distribution analysis.

Findings

Bright pulses follow a power-law energy distribution

Polarization properties differ between bright pulses and persistent emission

Bright pulses likely originate near the pulsar's magnetic pole

Abstract

We have detected sporadic, bright, short-duration radio pulses from PSR J0901$-$4624. These pulses are emitted simultaneously with persistent, periodic emission that dominates the flux density when averaging over many periods of the pulsar. The bright pulses have energies that are consistent with a power-law distribution. The integrated profile of PSR J0901$-$4624 is highly polarized and shows four distinct components. The bright pulses appear to originate near the magnetic pole of the pulsar and have polarization properties unlike that of the underlying emission at the same pulse phase. We conclude that the bright pulses represent a secondary giant-micropulse emission process, possibly from a different region in the pulsar magnetosphere.