| Description |
Even after nearly five decades of extensive research, the physical processes that cause the emission of radio signals from fast- spinning neutron stars, i.e. pulsars, remain an unsolved puzzle for observers and theorists alike. Radio emission from pulsars is marked by a multitude of intriguing phenomena on very short time scales, ranging from sudden cessation of emission to organised sub-beams forming carousel patterns that succeed in retaining their positional memory even when the pulsar emission is visibly switched off. The latter phenomenon of sub-pulse drifting holds the key to unlock the secrets of the pulsar emission mechanism. We will exploit the high-sensitivity, wide-band capabilities of the Parkes radio telescope and a newly-operational low-frequency telescope in outback WA to undertake an in-depth investigation of this important pulsar phenomenon, with the goal of constructing a three-dimensional tomographic view of pulsar emission beams, which will help nail down the underlying physics.
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