Pushchino Multibeam Pulsar Search. VIII. Pulsar with a period of 40.9~s in observations of the LPA LPI

TL;DR

This study reports the detection and analysis of a 40.9-second pulsar, similar to RRATs, using the LPA LPI telescope, revealing sporadic pulses, complex structures, and updated pulsar parameters.

Contribution

First detection of a long-period pulsar with RRAT-like properties in the LPA LPI data, including detailed pulse structure and timing analysis.

Findings

Pulsar exhibits sporadic pulses with complex multi-peak structures.

Detected pulses have flux densities from 2 to 11 Jy.

Pulsar has the minimal dispersion measure and pseudo-luminosity among known pulsars.

Abstract

A search has been carried out for the pulsar J0311+1402, which has a period of $P = 40.9$ s, in the data archive of the Large Phased Array (LPA) radio telescope. When searching using fast folding algorithm (FFA), periodic pulsar radiation at a frequency of 111 MHz was not detected. In 3321 observation sessions lasting 5 minutes, 35 strong pulses were detected with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) greater than 10. Some of the pulses have a complex multi-peak structure consisting of narrow details, while some of the pulses are single-component. The peak flux densities of the details of these strong pulses range from 2 to 11 Jy. The peak value ($S_{\rm p} = 2$\,Jy) and the integral ($S_{\rm i} = 7$\,mJy) flux density in the average profile were obtained from the strong pulses. It is shown that pulsar pulses in the meter-wavelength range arrive sporadically, and the pulsar is similar in its properties to a rotating radio transient (RRAT). The pulsar has the minimal dispersion measure, the minimal distance from the Sun, and the minimal pseudo-luminosity of all known pulsars. Pulsar timing made it possible to improve the previously obtained value of the period ($P$) and to estimate the period derivative ($\dot P$). In the dependency of timing residuals (TRs) from the times of arrival (TOA) of pulses discontinuities are visible, when no pulses were observed. The duration of these breaks can be hundreds of days.