Parkes observations for project P1364 semester 2025APRS_04

The propagation effects of the ionized interstellar medium (IISM) on pulsars are not well understood, and increase uncertainty on pulsar timing measurements. As high-precision pulsar timing is critical for using pulsars to detect phenomena as varied as gravitational waves and neutron star glitches, it is important to improve our understanding of these propagation effects. One such effect is chromatic dispersion, which contributes to timing noise but has been detected only once. We propose a set of 4 pointings with the Murriyang 64m Parkes Radio Telescope Ultra-Wide bandwidth Low frequency receiver (UWL), totaling 10 hours of telescope time. Our three targets are all strongly polarized pulsars in the Galactic plane, selected to maximize our chances of detecting one or both of the two types of chromatic dispersion. Non-detections will place upper limits on magnetic field strength and electron density in the IISM.