Arecibo Pulsar Survey Using ALFA. I. Survey Strategy and First Discoveries

We report results from the initial stage of a long-term pulsar survey of the Galactic plane using the Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA), a seven-beam receiver operating at 1.4 GHz with 0.3 GHz bandwidth, and fast-dump digital spectrometers. The search targets low Galactic latitudes, |b| 5°, in the accessible longitude ranges 32° l 77° and 168° l 214°. The instrumentation, data processing, initial survey observations, sensitivity, and database management are described. Data discussed here were collected over a 100 MHz passband centered on 1.42 GHz using a spectrometer that recorded 256 channels every 64 μs. Analysis of the data with their full time and frequency resolutions is ongoing. Here we report the results of a preliminary, low-resolution analysis for which the data were decimated to speed up the processing. We have detected 29 previously known pulsars and discovered 11 new ones. One of these, PSR J1928+1746, with a period of 69 ms and a relatively low characteristic age of 82 kyr, is a plausible candidate for association with the unidentified EGRET source 3EG J1928+1733. Another, PSR J1906+07, is a nonrecycled pulsar in a relativistic binary with an orbital period of 3.98 hr. In parallel with the periodicity analysis, we also search the data for isolated dispersed pulses. This technique has resulted in the discovery of PSR J0628+09, an extremely sporadic radio emitter with a spin period of 1.2 s. Simulations we have carried out indicate that ~1000 new pulsars will be found in our ALFA survey. In addition to providing a large sample for use in population analyses and for probing the magnetoionic interstellar medium, the survey maximizes the chances of finding rapidly spinning millisecond pulsars and pulsars in compact binary systems. Our search algorithms exploit the multiple data streams from ALFA to discriminate between radio frequency interference and celestial signals, including pulsars and possibly new classes of transient radio sources.

[1]  R. Hulse,et al.  A deep sample of new pulsars and their spatial extent in the Galaxy. , 1975 .

[2]  G. H. Stokes,et al.  Results of two surveys for fast pulsars , 1986 .

[3]  A. Lyne,et al.  A high-frequency survey of the southern Galactic plane for pulsars , 1992 .

[4]  A. Lyne,et al.  A high-frequency survey of the galactic plane for young and distant pulsars. , 1992 .

[5]  D. Lorimer,et al.  Pulsar statistics: the birthrate and initial spin periods of radio pulsars , 1993 .

[6]  James J. Frederic Testing the Accuracy of Redshift-Space Group-finding Algorithms , 1994, astro-ph/9409015.

[7]  A. Fruchter,et al.  A Search for Fast Pulsars along the Galactic Plane , 1995 .

[8]  D. Lorimer,et al.  Multifrequency flux density measurements of 280 pulsars , 1995 .

[9]  D. Nice Radio Pulses along the Galactic Plane , 1998, astro-ph/9809095.

[10]  J. Taylor,et al.  Gamma Radiation from PSR B1055–52 , 1998, astro-ph/9811219.

[11]  A. Dowd,et al.  WAPP — Wideband Arecibo Pulsar Processor , 2000 .

[12]  J. Cordes,et al.  Pulsar Jets: Implications for Neutron Star Kicks and Initial Spins , 2000, astro-ph/0007272.

[13]  R. Edwards,et al.  The Swinburne intermediate-latitude pulsar survey , 2001, astro-ph/0105126.

[14]  F. Camilo,et al.  The Parkes multi-beam pulsar survey - I. Observing and data analysis systems, discovery and timing of 100 pulsars , 2001, astro-ph/0106522.

[15]  D. Helfand,et al.  PSR J2229+6114: Discovery of an Energetic Young Pulsar in the Error Box of the EGRET Source 3EG J2227+6122 , 2001, astro-ph/0104109.

[16]  D. Backer,et al.  Using Pulsars to Detect Massive Black Hole Binaries via Gravitational Radiation: Sagittarius A* and Nearby Galaxies , 2001, astro-ph/0107470.

[17]  H. Andernach,et al.  A variability analysis of low-latitude unidentified gamma-ray sources , 2000, astro-ph/0007464.

[18]  D. Lorimer,et al.  PSR J2021+3651: A Young Radio Pulsar Coincident with an Unidentified EGRET γ-Ray Source , 2002, astro-ph/0206443.

[19]  F. Camilo,et al.  The Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey – II. Discovery and timing of 120 pulsars , 2002, astro-ph/0204238.

[20]  A. Loeb,et al.  Low-Frequency Gravitational Waves from Massive Black Hole Binaries: Predictions for LISA and Pulsar Timing Arrays , 2002, astro-ph/0211556.

[21]  J. Cordes,et al.  The Velocity Distribution of Isolated Radio Pulsars , 2001, astro-ph/0106159.

[22]  J. Mclaughlin Searches for Fast Radio Transients , 2003, astro-ph/0304364.

[23]  I. Stairs Testing General Relativity with Pulsar Timing , 2003, Living reviews in relativity.

[24]  J. Cordes,et al.  Searches for Giant Pulses from Extragalactic Pulsars , 2003, astro-ph/0304365.

[25]  Columbia,et al.  The Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey - III. Young Pulsars and the Discovery and Timing of 200 Pulsars , 2003, astro-ph/0303473.

[26]  Constraining the Properties of the Proposed Super-Massive Black Hole System in 3C66B: Limits from Pulsar Timing , 2003, astro-ph/0310276.

[27]  J. Cordes,et al.  Separated at Birth: The Origin of the Pulsars B2020+28 and B2021+51 in the Cygnus Superbubble , 2004, astro-ph/0403686.

[28]  M. Mclaughlin,et al.  The Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey - V. Finding binary and millisecond pulsars , 2004, astro-ph/0408228.

[29]  D. Lorimer,et al.  Handbook of Pulsar Astronomy , 2004 .

[30]  J. Cordes,et al.  Strong-field tests of gravity using pulsars and black holes , 2004 .

[31]  The Parkes multibeam pulsar survey – IV. Discovery of 180 pulsars and parameters for 281 previously known pulsars , 2004, astro-ph/0405364.

[32]  T. Lazio,et al.  A powerful bursting radio source towards the Galactic Centre , 2005, Nature.

[33]  R. Manchester,et al.  The Australia Telescope National Facility Pulsar Catalogue , 2005 .

[34]  W. Lewin,et al.  Compact stellar X-ray sources , 2006 .