Parkes observations for project P885 semester 2015APRS_BPSR_01

We propose to monitor for one year 1E 1547.0-5408 and PSR J1622-4950,\r\ntwo of the three magnetars known to currently emit radio waves.\r\nBoth were discovered at Parkes and their radio pulsations can only\r\nbe studied there. As magnetars (of which only 23 are confirmed in\r\nthe Galaxy), the aim is to develop a more reliable understanding\r\nof the dynamical behaviour of their magnetospheres and ultra-strong\r\nmagnetic fields, which are responsible for X-ray and gamma-ray\r\noutbursts, magnetospheric currents and particle acceleration, and\r\nheating of the neutron star surface. We do this by tracking their\r\nunsteady rotation in detail (the variable rotation period derivative\r\nprovides a measure of the changing torque) and also by comparing\r\nto the X-ray flux when available (currently via the Swift satellite\r\nfor 1E 1547.0-5408). As radio magnetars (only four have been\r\nidentified, and the first one no longer emits radio waves), our aim\r\nis to understand the conditions under which radio emission takes\r\nplace (both for each particular object, and in the larger context\r\nof the known population of magnetars, most of which aren't known \r\nto emit in the radio), and to characterize the variable radio\r\nemission in order to place constraints on the emission mechanisms,\r\nwhich at least in part differ from those of ordinary pulsars. We\r\ndo this by measuring their varying radio flux density and (full-Stokes)\r\npulse profiles, and by comparing the radio characteristics to their\r\ntorque and X-ray behaviour.