Spectral analysis of 22 radio pulsars using SKA-Low precursor stations

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the capability of SKA-Low precursor stations to detect and analyze pulsar radio spectra at low frequencies, revealing spectral complexities and validating sensitivity models with initial observations of 22 pulsars.

Contribution

First observational analysis of pulsars with SKA-Low precursor stations, including spectral classification and validation of sensitivity simulations at low frequencies.

Findings

Detected 22 pulsars, including lowest-frequency detections for 6 pulsars.

Verified accuracy of SKA-Low sensitivity simulation code.

Most pulsars show deviations from simple power-law spectra.

Abstract

We present the first observational study of pulsars performed with the second-generation precursor stations to the low-frequency component of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA-Low): the Aperture Array Verification System 2 (AAVS2) and the Engineering Development Array 2 (EDA2). Using the SKA-Low stations, we have observed 100 southern-sky pulsars between 70-350 MHz, including follow-up observations at multiple frequencies for a selected sample of bright pulsars. These observations have yielded detections of 22 pulsars, including the lowest-frequency detections ever published for 6 pulsars, despite the modest sensitivity of initial system where the recording bandwidth is limited to ~1 MHz. By comparing simultaneous flux density measurements obtained with the SKA-Low stations and performing rigorous electromagnetic simulations, we verify the accuracy of the SKA-Low sensitivity simulation code presented in Sokolowski et al. (2022). Furthermore, we perform model fits to the radio spectra of the detected pulsars using the method developed by Jankowski et al. (2018), including 9 pulsars which were not fitted in the original work. We robustly classify the spectra into 5 morphological classes and find that all but one pulsar exhibit deviations from simple power-law behaviour. These findings suggest that pulsars with well-determined spectra are more likely to show spectral flattening or turn-over than average. Our work demonstrates how SKA-Low stations can be meaningfully used for scientifically useful measurements and analysis of pulsar radio spectra, which are important inputs for informing pulsar surveys and science planned with the SKA-Low.