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Timing analysis of rotating radio transients discovered with MeerKAT

Thulo Letsele, Mechiel Christiaan Bezuidenhout, the MeerTRAP collaboration

TL;DR

The paper addresses the challenge of timing Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs) by applying a single-pulse timing pipeline to four MeerKAT-detected RRATs from the MeerTRAP survey, incorporating newly detected ToAs. Using AstroAccelerate, DSPSR, PSRCHIVE, TEMPO2, and the RRATsolve brute-force search, the authors reproduce the known timing solution for PSR J1843$-$0757 and reassess the association of MTP0005 with PSR J1840$-$0840, while deriving a new period for MTP0007 and leaving MTP0011 inconclusive due to sparse data. The results demonstrate the feasibility of RRAT timing with MeerKAT while highlighting limitations from intermittency and sensitivity, and they emphasize the need for additional pulses and better localization to obtain robust timings for all targets. Overall, the work advances RRAT timing techniques and clarifies potential source confusion in crowded fields.

Abstract

Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit pulses of radiation at regular intervals, typically ranging from milliseconds to seconds. The precise recording and modelling of the arrival times of pulsar emission is known as timing analysis. Rotating radio transients (RRATs) are a subclass of pulsars that emit pulses very sporadically. Because of the sparse pulse times of arrival (ToAs) typically available for these sources, they are much more difficult to time than regular pulsars, to the extent that few RRATs currently have coherent timing solutions. In this work, we present the results of timing analyses for four RRATs discovered by the MeerTRAP transient survey using MeerKAT. We incorporated additional pulse ToAs from each source that have been detected since their original analysis. We confirmed the known timing solution for PSR J1843$-$0757, with a period of $P=2.03$ seconds, and a period derivative of $\dot{P}=4,13\times10^{-15}$. However, our analysis did not comport with the solution of MTP0005, which we conclude may have been mistakenly identified with the known PSR J1840$-$0815 in the original analysis. Finally, the spin period for MTP0007 was determined to be $1.023(1)$ seconds using a brute-force period fitting approach.

Timing analysis of rotating radio transients discovered with MeerKAT

TL;DR

The paper addresses the challenge of timing Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs) by applying a single-pulse timing pipeline to four MeerKAT-detected RRATs from the MeerTRAP survey, incorporating newly detected ToAs. Using AstroAccelerate, DSPSR, PSRCHIVE, TEMPO2, and the RRATsolve brute-force search, the authors reproduce the known timing solution for PSR J18430757 and reassess the association of MTP0005 with PSR J18400840, while deriving a new period for MTP0007 and leaving MTP0011 inconclusive due to sparse data. The results demonstrate the feasibility of RRAT timing with MeerKAT while highlighting limitations from intermittency and sensitivity, and they emphasize the need for additional pulses and better localization to obtain robust timings for all targets. Overall, the work advances RRAT timing techniques and clarifies potential source confusion in crowded fields.

Abstract

Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit pulses of radiation at regular intervals, typically ranging from milliseconds to seconds. The precise recording and modelling of the arrival times of pulsar emission is known as timing analysis. Rotating radio transients (RRATs) are a subclass of pulsars that emit pulses very sporadically. Because of the sparse pulse times of arrival (ToAs) typically available for these sources, they are much more difficult to time than regular pulsars, to the extent that few RRATs currently have coherent timing solutions. In this work, we present the results of timing analyses for four RRATs discovered by the MeerTRAP transient survey using MeerKAT. We incorporated additional pulse ToAs from each source that have been detected since their original analysis. We confirmed the known timing solution for PSR J18430757, with a period of seconds, and a period derivative of . However, our analysis did not comport with the solution of MTP0005, which we conclude may have been mistakenly identified with the known PSR J18400815 in the original analysis. Finally, the spin period for MTP0007 was determined to be seconds using a brute-force period fitting approach.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 4 sections, 2 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Data processing
  3. Results
  4. Conclusion

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: (Top) Average profile and (Bottom) dynamic spectrum for each RRAT. The sweeping features in the dynamic spectra are zero-DM RFI signatures.
  • Figure 2: (Left) ToA residuals after fitting for the timing model for PSR J1843$-$0757. (Right) ToA residuals after fitting for the timing model for PSR J1840$-$0840. The error bars on the PSR J1840$-$0840 residuals are too small to show on this scale.