The Einstein@Home Arecibo Radio Pulsar search: Topic 4

What's new about our new search method?

Searches for binary radio pulsars so far were called "acceleration searches" or "sideband searches". The former correct for the varying time-delays by using an approximation of the binary orbit which is valid only if the observation time is much less than the orbital period of the binary system. The latter is efficient only when many binary orbits are visible during the observation time. There is a gap between those methods where both experience a large loss in sensitivity. Our search is using data sets covering 5 minutes of observation. Thus, the acceleration search becomes significantly less sensitive for orbital periods shorter than 50 minutes. The sideband search loses sensitivity for orbital periods longer than 3 minutes.

The new search method will close the resulting gap and can correct for binary periods down to 11 minutes, meaning that we can "see" up to half an orbit of such a binary (with its strongly varying Doppler effect). The figures to the right illustrate the progress achieved by using this procedure.

Interactive Binary Pulsar Simulation

Explore the Doppler effect in a binary pulsar system by downloading the "Pulsating Science" 3D visualisation software. Generate, view, and modify binary pulsar systems and their radio pulsations. The lower picture on the right shows a screenshot from this interactive simulation.

Follow the links below to get started and download an executable for your system (3D graphics drivers required):

• Microsoft Windows (XP/Vista/7, 32 bit)
• Apple Mac OS X (Intel, 32 bit)
• GNU/Linux (Intel, 32 bit)

• Microsoft Windows (XP/Vista/7, 32 bit, MinGW)
• Apple Mac OS X (Intel, 32 bit)
• GNU/Linux (Intel, 32 bit)

• git clone git://gitmaster.atlas.aei.uni-hannover.de/pulsatingscience/pulsatingscience.git