2001/05/01 by C. R. Gwinn
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Doppler effect #Interstellar medium #Opacity #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Scattering #Scintillation #Spectral line #Variation (astronomy) #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/323052
24 pages, 2 figures, Latex, uses AASTeX
arxiv created 2001/05/01 · openalex publication_date 2001/11/10 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2019/06/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
I suggest that radio-wave scattering by the interstellar plasma, in combination with subsonic gradients in the Doppler velocity of interstellar H I, is responsible for the observed small-scale variation in H I absorption spectra of pulsars. Velocity gradients on the order of 0.05-0.3 km s -1 across 1 AU can produce the observed variations. I suggest observational tests to determine the relative importance of such gradients and AU-scale absorbing cloudlets in producing the spectral variations.