An algorithm for determining the rotation count of pulsars

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new algorithm for accurately determining the rotation count of pulsars, especially useful for faint or sparsely observed pulsars, enabling more efficient and precise pulsar timing.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel, systematic method and an improved algorithm for establishing the global rotation count of pulsars with sparse data, facilitating phase-coherent ephemeris derivation.

Findings

Successfully applied to faint MSP PSR J0024-7205aa

Reduces telescope time and observations needed for pulsar follow-up

Enables phase-coherent ephemeris for previously inaccessible pulsars

Abstract

We present here a simple, systematic method for determining the correct global rotation count of a radio pulsar; an essential step for the derivation of an accurate phase-coherent ephemeris. We then build on this method by developing a new algorithm for determining the global rotational count for pulsars with sparse timing data sets. This makes it possible to obtain phase-coherent ephemerides for pulsars for which this has been impossible until now. As an example, we do this for PSR J0024-7205aa, an extremely faint MSP recently discovered in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae. This algorithm has the potential to significantly reduce the number of observations and the amount of telescope time needed to follow up on new pulsar discoveries.