Effect of Matching Algorithm and Profile Shape on Pulsar Pulse Time of Arrival Uncertainties

For high-precision pulsar timing analysis and low-frequency gravitational wave detection,it is essential to accurately determine pulsar pulse times of arrival(ToAs)and associated uncertainties.To measure the ToAs and their uncertainties,various cross-correlation-based techniques can be employed.We develop methodologies to investigate the impact of the template-matching method,profile shape,signal-to-noise ratio of both template and observation on ToA uncertainties.These methodologies are then applied to data from the International Pulsar Timing Array.We demonstrate that the Fourier domain Markov chain Monte Carlo method is generally superior to other methods,while the Gaussian interpolation shift method outperforms other methods in certain cases,such as profiles with large duty cycles or smooth profiles without sharp features.However,it is important to note that our study focuses solely on ToA uncertainty,and the optimal method for determining both ToA and ToA uncertainty may differ.

Tomography of a simply magnetized toroidal plasma

Optical emission spectroscopy is a passive diagnostic technique,which does not perturb the plasma state.In particular,in a hydrogen plasma,Balmer-alpha（Hα） emission can be easily measured in the visible range along a line of sight from outside the plasma vessel.Other emission lines in the visible spectral range from hydrogen atoms and molecules can be exploited too,in order to gather complementary pieces of information on the plasma state.Tomography allows us to capture bi-dimensional structures.We propose to adopt an emission spectroscopy tomography for studying the transverse profiles of magnetized plasmas when Abel inversion is not exploitable.An experimental campaign was carried out at the Thorello device,a simple magnetized torus.The characteristics of the profile extraction method,which we implemented for this purpose are discussed,together with a few results concerning the plasma profiles in a simply magnetized torus configuration.

Periodic interstellar scintillation variations of PSRs J0613-0200 and J0636+5128 associated with the Local Bubble shell

Annual variations of interstellar scintillation can be modelled to constrain parameters of the ionized interstellar medium.If a pulsar is in a binary system,then investigating the orbital parameters is possible through analysis of the orbital variation of scintillation.In observations carried out from 2011 to 2020 by the European Pulsar Timing Array radio telescopes,PSRs J0613-0200and J0636+5128 show strong annual variations in their scintillation velocity,while the former additionally exhibits an orbital fluctuation.Bayesian theory and Markov-chain-Monte-Carlo methods are used to interpret these periodic variations.We assume a thin and anisotropic scattering screen model,and discuss the mildly and extremely anisotropic scattering cases.PSR J0613-0200is best described by mildly anisotropic scattering,while PSR J0636+5128 exhibits extremely anisotropic scattering.We measure the distance,velocity,and degree of anisotropy of the scattering screen for our two pulsars,finding that scattering screen distances from Earth for PSRs J0613-0200 and J0636+5128 are 316_(-20)^(+28)pc and 262_(-38)^(+96)pc,respectively.The positions of these scattering screens are coincident with the shell of the Local Bubble towards both pulsars.These associations add to the growing evidence of the Local Bubble shell as a dominant region of scattering along many sightlines.