Parkes observations for project P1162 semester 2022OCTS_09

Pulsar timing is a powerful tool in studying pulsar physics. Discovering more exotic pulsar systems or timing pulsars with higher precision is an essential part of pulsar astronomy. As a recently discovered millisecond pulsar, PSR J1402+13 is an interesting source for follow-up timing observations. First, its spin-down rate is the highest among known millisecond pulsars according to initial data. This spin-down rate, if confirmed, will place stringent constraints on the spin-up process predicted by pulsar recycling theories. Second, and more importantly, J1402+13 is a very promising candidate for pulsar timing arrays, with an achievable precision at the level of 6 nanoseconds for 60 minutes observation with Parkes. We thus apply for 18.7 hours to conduct dedicated timing observations of J1402+13 over the period of half a year (and more observations in the future semesters). This project will derive an ephemeris of the system, which is valuable to understand its formation and evolution history. Furthermore, the observations will allow us to evaluate the timing performance of J1402+13 and its suitability to be included in pulsar timing arrays.

脉冲星计时（pulsar timing）是研究脉冲星物理的有力工具。发现更多特殊的脉冲星系统，或以更高精度对脉冲星进行计时，是脉冲星天文学的核心组成部分。作为近期发现的毫秒脉冲星（millisecond pulsar），PSR J1402+13是后续计时观测的理想目标源。首先，根据初始数据，其自旋减慢速率（spin-down rate）在已知毫秒脉冲星中是最高的。若这一自旋减慢速率得到证实，将对脉冲星循环理论（pulsar recycling theories）所预测的自旋加速过程（spin-up process）施加严格限制。其次，更重要的是，J1402+13是脉冲星计时阵列（pulsar timing arrays）的极具潜力候选源；使用帕克斯望远镜（Parkes）观测60分钟时，可达到6纳秒级别的精度。因此，我们申请18.7小时的观测时间，在半年内对J1402+13进行专门的计时观测（未来学期将开展更多观测）。该项目将推导该系统的星历表（ephemeris），这对理解其形成与演化历史具有重要价值。此外，这些观测将使我们能够评估J1402+13的计时性能及其纳入脉冲星计时阵列的适用性。