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Title:
Using the Double Pulsar Eclipses to Probe Fundamental Physics
Authors:
Breton, Rene P.; Kaspi, Victoria M.; Kramer, Michael; McLaughlin, Maura A.; Lyutikov, Maxim; Ransom, Scott M.; Stairs, Ingrid H.; Ferdman, Robert D.; Camilo, Fernando
Affiliation:
AA(McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada), AB(McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada), AC(University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK), AD(West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank, WV 24944, USA), AE(Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA), AF(National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA), AG(University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada), AH(University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada), AI(Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA)
Publication:
40 YEARS OF PULSARS: Millisecond Pulsars, Magnetars and More. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 983, pp. 469-473 (2008). (AIPC Homepage)
Publication Date:
02/2008
Origin:
AIP
PACS Keywords:
Pulsars, Eclipses, transits, and occultations, Magnetohydrodynamics and plasmas, Relativity and gravitation
DOI:
10.1063/1.2900276
Bibliographic Code:
2008AIPC..983..469B

Abstract

The double pulsar system exhibits unique and spectacular eclipses when pulsar A passes behind pulsar B. We present 3.5 years of eclipse monitoring which provides an unprecedented way of probing pulsar magnetospheres, geometric orientation as well as testing general relativity The eclipse light curve of pulsar A has a rich phenomenology. This includes little observed radio frequency dependence and periodic flux modulations in phase with the rotation of pulsar B, which allow the flux to reach uneclipsed levels in narrow windows. Over the monitoring period, the eclipse profile noticeably changed and we observe a modification in the modulation behavior. We quantitatively analyzed the data using the magnetospheric synchrotron absorption eclipse model proposed by Lyutikov and Thompson under the assumption of a simple dipolar magnetic field geometry The success of the model at reproducing the eclipse profile indicates that the magnetic field configuration is mainly dipolar at a distance of about 0.1 light-cylinder radii from pulsar B. Model fitting leads to the determination of pulsar B's geometric orientation. Therefore by investigating the time evolution of the eclipse profile we can quantitatively test the effects of relativistic spin precession on pulsar B, as predicted by general relativity Also, we note some peculiar features in the egress that are not well modelled and could potentially help to understand distortions of the magnetic field at the magnetosphere boundary
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