2009/08/27 by M. A. McLaughlin, A. G. Lyne, E. F. Keane +6 · 57 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Magnetar #Magnetic field #Neutron star #Pulsar #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Radio wave #Transient (computer programming) #astro-ph.SR
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.15584.x
published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 400(3), 1431-1438 (Oxford University Press) · 9 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables, accepted by MNRAS
arxiv created 2009/08/27 · openalex publication_date 2009/11/06 · arxiv updated 2015/05/14 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We present radio timing measurements of six rotating radio transient (RRAT) sources discovered in the Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey. These provide four new phase-connected timing solutions and two updated ones, making a total of seven of the original 11 reported RRATs now with high-precision rotational and astrometric parameters. Three of these seven RRATs have magnetic fields greater than 1013 G, with spin-down properties similar to those of the magnetars and X-ray detected isolated neutron stars. Another two of these RRATs have long periods and large characteristic ages, and lie near the ‘death line’ for radio pulsar emission. The remaining two RRATs with timing solutions have properties typical of the bulk of the pulsar population. The new solutions offer insights into what might be responsible for the unusual emission properties. We demonstrate that the RRATs have significantly longer periods and higher magnetic fields than normal radio pulsars, and find no correlation with other spin-down parameters. These solutions also provide precise positions, which will facilitate follow-up studies at high energies, crucial for relating these sources with other neutron star populations.