Parkes observations for project P602 semester 2013OCTS

We propose primarily to continue studying 1E 1547.0-5408, one of the\r\nthree magnetars known to currently emit radio pulsations. The aim is to\r\ndevelop a more specific understanding of the dynamical behavior of their\r\nmagnetospheres and ultra-strong magnetic fields, which are responsible\r\nfor X-ray and gamma-ray outbursts, magnetospheric currents and particle\r\nacceleration, and heating of the neutron star surface. 1E 1547.0-5408\r\nhas been remarkably active over the past 4.5 years: following a large\r\nX-ray outburst in October 2008, radio emission ceased, recommencing\r\nsporadically in December. In January 2009, a much larger X-ray outburst\r\noccurred, and since then there have been huge variations in its radio\r\nflux. The X-ray flux is gradually decaying, and meanwhile the torque\r\non the star continues to vary enormously. At Parkes we request weekly\r\ntiming to track its rotation and radio flux, while we monitor its X-ray\r\nflux with the Swift satellite. For little additional time we will also\r\nobtain useful data on two other pulsars of interest: one other\r\nmagnetar known to be currently radio active, and a pulsar that "blinks"\r\non ~year timescales, the second known in its class.