New Features of the Pulsar B0950+08 Radiation at the Frequency of 111MHz

TL;DR

This study presents long-term 111MHz observations of pulsar B0950+08, revealing significant emission variability, interpulse radiation, and correlations that support an aligned rotator model, providing insights into pulsar evolution and emission mechanisms.

Contribution

First detailed low-frequency study of pulsar B0950+08 over several years, confirming interpulse radiation and its correlations, and supporting the aligned rotator model.

Findings

Detected strong flux variability due to interstellar scintillations.

Confirmed the existence of interpulse and precursor radiation at 111 MHz.

Estimated pulsar parameters supporting the aligned rotator evolution model.

Abstract

Results of long time observations of the pulsar B0950+08 are given. These observations were carried out at the LPA radio telescope at the frequency of 111 MHz from January of 2016 to May of 2019 (450 days). A strong variability in emission of this pulsar has been detected with changes of signal to noise ratios hundreds of times. Part of the long-time flux density variability can be explained by refractive scintillations in the interstellar medium. The existence of radiation between the interpulse (IP) and main pulse (MP) was confirmed. It was more powerful than at high frequencies. We detected the unusual interpulse and precursor (Pr) radiation on August 1, 2017. On the base of strong 65 interpulses we found the correlations between energies of IP and Pr and between the phase of IP and the distance Pr-IP. It is shown that the observed peculiarities of this pulsar can be explained in the frame of the aligned rotator model. We estimated distances of radiation levels from the center of the neutron star. The calculated value of the initial period of 0.2 sec means that not all pulsars are born with millisecond periods. The large age of the pulsar (6.8 millions of years) and the small angle between its magnetic moment and the rotation axis (less than 20$^{\circ}$) confirm the suggestion on the pulsar evolution to an alignment.