Evidence for profile changes in PSR J1713+0747 using the uGMRT

TL;DR

This study reports a sudden, frequency-dependent profile change in pulsar PSR J1713+0747 observed with uGMRT, accompanied by a disturbance and recovery in timing, suggesting chromatic effects in pulsar emission.

Contribution

The paper presents multi-frequency observations of a rare abrupt profile change in PSR J1713+0747, highlighting chromatic index variations and a recovery timescale, advancing understanding of pulsar emission behavior.

Findings

Profile change observed at multiple frequencies

Timing disturbance with ~159 days recovery

Chromatic index model preferred with index ~+1.34

Abstract

PSR J1713+0747 is one of the most precisely timed pulsars in the international pulsar timing array experiment. This pulsar showed an abrupt profile shape change between April 16, 2021 (MJD 59320) and April 17, 2021 (MJD 59321). In this paper, we report the results from multi-frequency observations of this pulsar carried out with the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) before and after the event. We demonstrate the profile change seen in Band 5 (1260 MHz - 1460 MHz) and Band 3 (300 MHz - 500 MHz). The timing analysis of this pulsar shows a disturbance accompanying this profile change followed by a recovery with a timescale of $\sim 159$ days. Our data suggest that a model with chromatic index as a free parameter is preferred over models with combinations of achromaticity with DM bump or scattering bump. We determine the frequency dependence to be $\sim\nu^{+1.34}$.