The MeerTime Pulsar Timing Array: A census of emission properties and timing potential. (18th July 2022)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- The MeerTime Pulsar Timing Array: A census of emission properties and timing potential. (18th July 2022)
- Main Title:
- The MeerTime Pulsar Timing Array: A census of emission properties and timing potential
- Authors:
- Spiewak, R.
Bailes, M.
Miles, M. T.
Parthasarathy, A.
Reardon, D. J.
Shamohammadi, M.
Shannon, R. M.
Bhat, N. D. R.
Buchner, S.
Cameron, A. D.
Camilo, F.
Geyer, M.
Johnston, S.
Karastergiou, A.
Keith, M.
Kramer, M.
Serylak, M.
van Straten, W.
Theureau, G.
Venkatraman Krishnan, V. - Abstract:
- Abstract: MeerTime is a five-year Large Survey Project to time pulsars with MeerKAT, the 64-dish South African precursor to the Square Kilometre Array. The science goals for the programme include timing millisecond pulsar (MSPs) to high precision ( ${<} 1 \unicode{x03BC} \mathrm{s}$ ) to study the Galactic MSP population and to contribute to global efforts to detect nanohertz gravitational waves with the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA). In order to plan for the remainder of the programme and to use the allocated time most efficiently, we have conducted an initial census with the MeerKAT ' L -band' receiver of 189 MSPs visible to MeerKAT and here present their dispersion measures, polarisation profiles, polarisation fractions, rotation measures, flux density measurements, spectral indices, and timing potential. As all of these observations are taken with the same instrument (which uses coherent dedispersion, interferometric polarisation calibration techniques, and a uniform flux scale), they present an excellent resource for population studies. We used wideband pulse portraits as timing standards for each MSP and demonstrated that the MeerTime Pulsar Timing Array (MPTA) can already contribute significantly to the IPTA as it currently achieves better than $1\, \unicode{x03BC}\mathrm{s}$ timing accuracy on 89 MSPs (observed with fortnightly cadence). By the conclusion of the initial five-year MeerTime programme in 2024 July, the MPTA will be extremely significant inAbstract: MeerTime is a five-year Large Survey Project to time pulsars with MeerKAT, the 64-dish South African precursor to the Square Kilometre Array. The science goals for the programme include timing millisecond pulsar (MSPs) to high precision ( ${<} 1 \unicode{x03BC} \mathrm{s}$ ) to study the Galactic MSP population and to contribute to global efforts to detect nanohertz gravitational waves with the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA). In order to plan for the remainder of the programme and to use the allocated time most efficiently, we have conducted an initial census with the MeerKAT ' L -band' receiver of 189 MSPs visible to MeerKAT and here present their dispersion measures, polarisation profiles, polarisation fractions, rotation measures, flux density measurements, spectral indices, and timing potential. As all of these observations are taken with the same instrument (which uses coherent dedispersion, interferometric polarisation calibration techniques, and a uniform flux scale), they present an excellent resource for population studies. We used wideband pulse portraits as timing standards for each MSP and demonstrated that the MeerTime Pulsar Timing Array (MPTA) can already contribute significantly to the IPTA as it currently achieves better than $1\, \unicode{x03BC}\mathrm{s}$ timing accuracy on 89 MSPs (observed with fortnightly cadence). By the conclusion of the initial five-year MeerTime programme in 2024 July, the MPTA will be extremely significant in global efforts to detect the gravitational wave background with a contribution to the detection statistic comparable to other long-standing timing programmes. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. Volume 39(2022)
- Journal:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
- Issue:
- Volume 39(2022)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 39, Issue 2022 (2022)
- Year:
- 2022
- Volume:
- 39
- Issue:
- 2022
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2022-0039-2022-0000
- Page Start:
- Page End:
- Publication Date:
- 2022-07-18
- Subjects:
- methods: observational -- pulsars: general
Astronomy -- Periodicals
Southern sky (Astronomy) -- Periodicals
Astrophysics -- Periodicals
Periodicals
520.5 - Journal URLs:
- http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=pas ↗
http://www.publish.csiro.au/?nid=138 ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1017/pasa.2022.19 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 1323-3580
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store
- Ingest File:
- 22407.xml