The two emission states of PSR B1534+12

TL;DR

This study observes PSR B1534+12 with FAST, revealing two distinct emission states with different pulse profiles, analyzing their energy distributions, and assessing timing precision limitations due to pulse jitter.

Contribution

It is the first detailed analysis of the dual emission states of PSR B1534+12, including their energy distributions and impact on timing precision.

Findings

The pulsar exhibits two emission states: weak and burst.

Burst state pulse energies follow a power-law distribution.

Bright pulses do not improve timing precision due to pulse jitter.

Abstract

We have observed PSR~B1534+12 (J1537+1155), a pulsar with a neutron star companion, using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). We found that this pulsar shows two distinct emission states: a weak state with a wide pulse profile and a burst state with a narrow pulse profile. The weak state is always present. We cannot, with our current data, determine whether the pulse energy of the weak state follows a normal or a log-normal distribution. The burst state energy distribution follows a power-law. The amplitude of the single pulse emission in the burst state varies significantly; the peak flux intensity of the brightest pulse is 334 times stronger than that of the average pulse. We also examined the timing precision achievable using only bright pulses, which showed no demonstrable improvement because of pulse jitter and therefore quantified the jitter noise level for this pulsar.