Pulsar Astrophysics at Jodrell Bank: Rolling Grant 2009-2014
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Radio pulsars are very compact, rotating, massive and dense stars, consisting mainly of neutrons, that emit a radio beam along their magnetic axis. They are what remains when a star about eight times heavier than our Sun runs out of fuel and undergoes a catastrophic collapse that results in a supernova. The immense pressure during that collapse squashes matter slightly heavier than our Sun into a sphere of just 10 kilometre in radius, converting the matter into neutrons. As the pulsar rotates, the narrow radio beam sweeps across the Earth and we detect a pulse of radiation, much like a cosmic version of a lighthouse, and hence the name pulsar. The extreme density, equivalent to fitting the entire Earth into a golf-ball, means that pulsars rotate very stably. Each pulse is like a tick from a clock which has an accuracy which rivals that of the best atomic clocks on Earth. We can use this clock-like nature of pulsars to perform incredible experiments on gravity which are only possible with pulsars. For example, if a pulsar is in a binary system with another star, then Einstein's theory of General Relativity predicts that the time that it will take the two stars to orbit each other will decrease with time due to the emission of gravitational waves. The predicted decrease in the orbital period was first measured by Hulse & Taylor using pulsars, for which they were awarded the Noble Prize in Physics in 1993. This was strong proof that Einstein's theory was correct but this was only indirect evidence for the existence of gravitational waves, a direct detection has not yet been made. Representing objects with the largest matter density in the observable Universe, pulsars also have extremely large magnetic fields, about 30 million times that of the strongest magnetic we can produce on Earth. It is in these magnetic fields that the radio emission is generated which is seen as the accurate pulses. How this process works tests the limits of our physical understanding and allows us to measure the properties of matter and plasma in environments which are impossible to recreate in a laboratory. In order to be able to perform all of these exciting studies, we first have to find sufficient numbers, and the right sort, of pulsars on which to do these experiments. Our group is the world's most successful one in finding radio pulsars but even more extreme objects are still to be found. In order to find these missing jewels, we are planning to use some of the largest telescopes in the world, together with a very large computer and sophisticated software that we have developed. We expect to find about 1000 new pulsars! We also continue to use the currently best known objects to test Einstein's theory of gravity. This includes timing the unique Double Pulsar, which we discovered in 2003. In this object, two pulsars orbit each other in less than 2.5 hours, moving with speeds of 1 million km/h. Using it, we have tested Einstein to be correct at least the 99.95% level. To directly detect gravitational waves for the first time, we are planning a unique experiment to measure the arrival time of pulses from pulsars with the highest precision yet achieved. This requires us to record and combine the signals of the 5 largest telescopes in Europe to form an enormous dish equivalent to the largest in the world. An important factor in our research is the possibility to use the Lovell telescope. As one of the greatest pulsar telescopes in the world, we track the rotation of more than 600 pulsars, leading to many unexpected and exciting results about neutron star properties, dense matter and even the events during the collapse of a massive star. All of our proposed experiments require cutting edge bespoke technology much of which we develop ourselves. This state-of-the art software and hardware proposed in this grant allows us to perform these incredibly precise measurements of these extreme objects.
Organisations
- University of Manchester (Lead Research Organisation)
- UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD (Collaboration)
- National Center for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS) (Collaboration)
- Max Planck Society (Collaboration)
- Swinburne University of Technology (Collaboration)
- ASTRON Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (Collaboration)
- National Institute for Astrophysics (Collaboration)
- University of Amsterdam (Collaboration)
- Australia Telescope National Facility (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON (Collaboration)
Publications
Bates S
(2011)
A 6.5-GHz multibeam pulsar survey A 6.5-GHz multibeam pulsar survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Karuppusamy R
(2010)
A low frequency study of PSRs B1133+16, B1112+50, and B0031-07
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Spreeuw H
(2009)
A new perspective on GCRT J1745-3009
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lyne A
(2010)
A new population of radio transient neutron stars
in New Astronomy Reviews
Freire P
(2009)
A new technique for timing the double pulsar system
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Deller A
(2012)
A PARALLAX DISTANCE AND MASS ESTIMATE FOR THE TRANSITIONAL MILLISECOND PULSAR SYSTEM J1023+0038
in The Astrophysical Journal
Thornton D
(2013)
A population of fast radio bursts at cosmological distances.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Abdo AA
(2009)
A population of gamma-ray millisecond pulsars seen with the Fermi Large Area Telescope.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Ferdman R
(2010)
A PRECISE MASS MEASUREMENT OF THE INTERMEDIATE-MASS BINARY PULSAR PSR J1802 - 2124
in The Astrophysical Journal
Dhillon V
(2011)
A search for optical bursts from the rotating radio transient J1819-1458 with ULTRACAM - II. Simultaneous ULTRACAM-Lovell Telescope observations A search for optical bursts from RRAT J1819
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Description | The main areas where our research has been used outside of academia is in the area of cultural impact. This has concentrated in the areas that are described through our outputs such as: Press releases, public websites, presentations to public groups, including schools, through our contributions to the University of Manchester's Discovery Centre. This outreach program is centred around the Jodrell Bank Observatory and its iconic Lovell Telescope and has impact UK-wide. We specialize in making our science accessible to "hard to reach" target audiences. Regular events are organized on site , ranging from core astronomy to music festivals (e.g. www.jodrellbanklive.co.uk). The BBC's Stargazing Live attracted 3.5 million viewers on each of three nights. The new Discovery Centre which opened to the public in April 2011 attracts 125,000 visitors annually. Our research has also recently caught the attention of a defence company who recognise us as an important resource for understanding how one might use pulsars for navigation or position determination in extreme circumstances. |
First Year Of Impact | 2009 |
Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Education,Other |
Impact Types | Cultural Economic |
Title | Glitch Table |
Description | We provide a database of all the glitches detected in radio pulsars, this is the largest database in existence and is constantly updated with our own results and those from the literature. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2011 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | The database has been used in a number of publications. |
URL | http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/pulsar/glitches/gTable.html |
Description | EPTA |
Organisation | ASTRON Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | We have provided data and expertise. |
Collaborator Contribution | Knowledge exchange and data |
Impact | More than 12 papers have already been published, including the best ever limit on the presence of stochastic background of gravitational waves at frequencies of a few nanoHertz. |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | EPTA |
Organisation | Max Planck Society |
Department | Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have provided data and expertise. |
Collaborator Contribution | Knowledge exchange and data |
Impact | More than 12 papers have already been published, including the best ever limit on the presence of stochastic background of gravitational waves at frequencies of a few nanoHertz. |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | EPTA |
Organisation | National Center for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS) |
Country | France |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have provided data and expertise. |
Collaborator Contribution | Knowledge exchange and data |
Impact | More than 12 papers have already been published, including the best ever limit on the presence of stochastic background of gravitational waves at frequencies of a few nanoHertz. |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | EPTA |
Organisation | National Institute for Astrophysics |
Country | Italy |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have provided data and expertise. |
Collaborator Contribution | Knowledge exchange and data |
Impact | More than 12 papers have already been published, including the best ever limit on the presence of stochastic background of gravitational waves at frequencies of a few nanoHertz. |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | High Time Resolution Universe - North |
Organisation | Australia Telescope National Facility |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We have provided expertise, personnel and computing resources |
Collaborator Contribution | Computing Facilities, expertise |
Impact | None yet as this collaboration has only just started acquiring data and is a long term project |
Start Year | 2009 |
Description | High Time Resolution Universe - North |
Organisation | Max Planck Society |
Department | Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have provided expertise, personnel and computing resources |
Collaborator Contribution | Computing Facilities, expertise |
Impact | None yet as this collaboration has only just started acquiring data and is a long term project |
Start Year | 2009 |
Description | High Time Resolution Universe - North |
Organisation | Max Planck Society |
Department | Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have provided expertise, personnel and computing resources |
Collaborator Contribution | Computing Facilities, expertise |
Impact | None yet as this collaboration has only just started acquiring data and is a long term project |
Start Year | 2009 |
Description | High Time Resolution Universe - South |
Organisation | Australia Telescope National Facility |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We have provided training, manpower, expertise and facilities |
Impact | This has resulted in 2 published papers, 2 in press and 4 presently in preparation. |
Start Year | 2007 |
Description | High Time Resolution Universe - South |
Organisation | Max Planck Society |
Department | Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have provided training, manpower, expertise and facilities |
Impact | This has resulted in 2 published papers, 2 in press and 4 presently in preparation. |
Start Year | 2007 |
Description | High Time Resolution Universe - South |
Organisation | National Institute for Astrophysics |
Country | Italy |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have provided training, manpower, expertise and facilities |
Impact | This has resulted in 2 published papers, 2 in press and 4 presently in preparation. |
Start Year | 2007 |
Description | High Time Resolution Universe - South |
Organisation | Swinburne University of Technology |
Department | Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have provided training, manpower, expertise and facilities |
Impact | This has resulted in 2 published papers, 2 in press and 4 presently in preparation. |
Start Year | 2007 |
Description | LOFAR |
Organisation | ASTRON Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | We contribute to the science, observations and data reduction but we also supply technical expertise. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide science, observing support, data analysis and technical expertise. |
Impact | The major outcomes of this collaboration are research papers as indicated in the relevant sections above. |
Description | LOFAR |
Organisation | Max Planck Society |
Department | Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We contribute to the science, observations and data reduction but we also supply technical expertise. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide science, observing support, data analysis and technical expertise. |
Impact | The major outcomes of this collaboration are research papers as indicated in the relevant sections above. |
Description | LOFAR |
Organisation | University of Amsterdam |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We contribute to the science, observations and data reduction but we also supply technical expertise. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide science, observing support, data analysis and technical expertise. |
Impact | The major outcomes of this collaboration are research papers as indicated in the relevant sections above. |
Description | LOFAR |
Organisation | University of Oxford |
Department | Department of Physics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We contribute to the science, observations and data reduction but we also supply technical expertise. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide science, observing support, data analysis and technical expertise. |
Impact | The major outcomes of this collaboration are research papers as indicated in the relevant sections above. |
Description | LOFAR |
Organisation | University of Southampton |
Department | Physics and Astronomy |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We contribute to the science, observations and data reduction but we also supply technical expertise. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide science, observing support, data analysis and technical expertise. |
Impact | The major outcomes of this collaboration are research papers as indicated in the relevant sections above. |
Description | AAA Bonn |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Amateur Astronomer Association, Bonn, 24 June 2009, Fundamental physics with astronomy presentation with interesting discussion afterwards. NA |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
Description | BA Festival of Science |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk at the BA Festival of Science. "From rhythm to music: The cosmic concert of pulsars" Interaction with the public. Increased interest in pulsars and in particular the applications. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
Description | British Amateur Astronomy Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 80 people attended the talk, a couple have continued to be in contact, and one attended as a summer intern in 2012 Impact was a greater awareness of the UK's involvement in the next generation of radio telescopes. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
Description | Discovery Center |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We co-designed exhibits of our work for the Discovery Centre at Jodrell Bank Observatory. We also give regular presentations to the Ask an expert group and give talks and presentations at the frequent public events. There is a significant increase in the awareness of the research that is being undertaken in our group. The public have become aware of the importance of this field of research and how it can relate to the big problems in physics. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010,2011,2012,2013 |
Description | Jodcast |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We contributed either with content, or in the creation of pieces for the Jodcast, an astronomical podcast. Increased awareness of astronomy in general and of our work in particular. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014 |
URL | http://www.jodcast.net/ |
Description | Knutsford SciBar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Presentation on research area to members of the public interested in science followed by excellent discussion. Requests for further presentations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
Description | Live Data Tool |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We developed a website that showed our observations live in real time on the internet for assisting the public have a better view of what the Lovell telescope is doing. We also used it during the StarGazing live events. Many visitors to our website. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010,2011,2012,2013 |
Description | Press Releases |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We regularly write press releases on our work, at least once per year to inform the media and public of our work, recent examples include: LOFAR takes the pulse of the universe, The first pulsar discovered by volunteer computing, Switched Magnetosphere regulation of pulsar spin down. The Diamond Planet, Discovery of Fast Radio Bursts. These press releases often result in interviews with media and contact from the public with interest about the work we are doing. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013 |
Description | S&T Double Pulsar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Wrote an article for Sky and Telescope Magazine (note that only newspapers was an option below in 5.9) about the double pulsar system. Research was disseminated to a wider audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
Description | Schools Presentation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Gave presentations over 3 days to more than 500 A-level school kids. Included a discussion. None as yet, but too recent. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010,2011,2012 |