Gregory M. Beskin

Pulsed Optical Emission from PSR 0656+14

Using data collected with the Special Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) 6 m telescope and the University College Galway (UCG) Transputer Instrument for Fast Image Deconvolution (TRIFFID) imaging photometer, we show that the radio, X-ray, and γ-ray pulsar PSR 0656+14 exhibits pulsed optical emission. We observed that the pulsed fraction was consistent with 100% and that the flux was higher than that expected from a thermal source. The magnitude of PSR 0656+14 in the B band was observed to be 25.1 ± 0.3, consistent with previous CCD observations. The peak of the optical signal is at phase 0.2 compared to the radio and in phase with the weak γ-ray pulse.

Unpulsed Optical Emission from the Crab Pulsar

Based on observations of the Crab pulsar using the TRIFFID high-speed imaging photometer in the UBV bands using the Special Astrophysical Observatorys 6 m telescope in the Russian Caucasus, we report the detection of pronounced emission during the so-called off phase of emission. Following de-extinction, this unpulsed component of emission is shown to be consistent with a power law with an exponent of α = -0.60 ± 0.37, the uncertainty being dominated by the error associated with the independent CCD photometry used to reference the TRIFFID data. This suggests a steeper power-law form than that reported elsewhere in the literature for the total integrated spectrum, which is essentially flat with α ~ 0.1, although the difference in this case is only significant at the ≤2 σ level. Deeper reference integrated and TRIFFID phase-resolved photometry, in these bands in conjunction with further observations in the UV and R region, would constrain this fit further.

Optical search for extraterrestrial intelligence with Air Cerenkov telescopes.

We propose using large Air Cerenkov telescopes (ACTs) to search for optical, pulsed signals from extraterrestrial intelligence. Such dishes collect tens of photons from a nanosecond-scale pulse of isotropic equivalent power of tens of solar luminosities at a distance of 100 pc. The field of view for giant ACTs can be on the order of 10 square degrees, and they will be able to monitor 10-100 stars simultaneously for nanosecond pulses of about 6th magnitude or brighter. Using the Earths diameter as a baseline, orbital motion of the planet could be detected by timing the pulse arrivals.

Radio and optical SETI from the southern hemisphere

A review of the SETI activities in the southern hemisphere over the past three decades is made. A description of the META II program, that is carried out from the Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomia (IAR), and that is continuously scanning the southern skies is described. META (Megachannel Extraterrestrial Assay) is an 8.4 million channels spectrum analyzer with a spectral resolution of 0.05 Hz, working at the 1,420 MHz hydrogen line at the Oak Ridge Harvard radio-observatory and at IAR. A description of the first optical SETI observing program from the southern hemisphere is made. For this purpose a high temporal resolution device called MANIA (Multichannel Analyzer of Nanosecond Intensity Alterations) will be used at the 2.15 m telescope of CASLEO (Complejo AStronomico El LEOncito) in the San Juan province in Argentina.

On the peculiarities in the rotational frequency evolution of isolated neutron stars

Abstract The measurements of pulsar frequency second derivatives have shown that they are 102−106 times larger than expected for standard pulsar spin-down law, and are even negative for about half of pulsars. We explain these paradoxical results on the basis of the statistical analysis of the rotational parameters ν,

Implications of the Optical Observations of Isolated Neutron Stars

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A Photometric System to Search for Optical Variability on Time-Scales of 3 x 10-7 to 300s: Main Results

and

Search for connections between isolated radio pulsars and supernova remnants

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Variability of the Naked-Eye Burst prompt optical emission as a manifestation of its central engine periodic activity.

of the subset of 295 pulsars taken mostly from the ATNF database. We have found a strong correlation between

Monotonous and thousands-of-years cyclic components of isolated radio pulsars spindown.

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