Spatial Modulation Search Applied to the Search and Confirmation of Highly Scintillated Pulsars at FAST with A Pulsar Discovered in M3

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel spatial modulation search method that allows simultaneous pulsar detection and confirmation within a single observation, improving efficiency in pulsar surveys, demonstrated through successful tests in globular clusters including a new pulsar discovery.

Contribution

The paper presents a new spatial modulation search technique that combines detection and confirmation in one step, enhancing pulsar search efficiency and accuracy.

Findings

Discovered and confirmed a new pulsar, M3F, in globular cluster M3.

Detected multiple known pulsars in M3, M15, and M92.

Validated the effectiveness of the method in real observational data.

Abstract

We present a pulsar candidate identification and confirmation procedure based on a position-switch mode during the pulsar search observations. This method enables the simultaneous search and confirmation of a pulsar in a single observation, by utilizing the different spatial features of a pulsar signal and a radio frequency interference (RFI). Based on this method, we performed test pulsar search observations in globular clusters M3, M15, and M92. We discovered and confirmed a new pulsar, M3F, and detected the known pulsars M3B, M15 A to G (except C), and M92A.