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Hope College
Department of Physics and Engineering |
Project Title: Beam Geometry and Luminosity Model for the Radio
Emission of
Pulsars
Student Name: Stefan Coltisor
Student’s home institution:
Research Advisor(s): Dr. Peter Gonthier
Source of Support: Sherman Fairchild Foundation
During this project we explored a beam geometry and
luminosity model for the radio emission from radio pulsars. For the first part
of this project we used an IGOR Pro based program that simulated the profile
intensity of a given pulsar for only one specific frequency. We experienced and
learned a lot with this software. However, we also realized that a program
simulating only one frequency at a time is far from sufficient for obtaining
fast and reliable knowledge. Thus, during the second part of this project, I
dedicated my time designing, writing and testing another version of this IGOR
Pro based program capable of analyzing and interpreting data corresponding to
multiple frequencies of a given pulsar at a time. Also, this program was
planned to include small modification of the initial model, this modification
being the fruit of our previous work using the single frequency simulation
program. The program had to include a
new parameterization of the conal angular width as
described by Mitra & Despande
(1999). We have also decided to modify the fitting process in a way that would
allow us to define a new luminosity model, and determine its characteristic
constants. It proved to be a rather difficult task, and so preliminary
simulations and conclusions have not been possible before the end of the summer
part of this research project. However, a beta version of this program has been
created and we expect that once the project is resumed (at the beginning of
September, 2002) final testing will allow us to finish the program and start
running simulations and fittings.
I would like to conclude that this project revealed the lack of consistence of the already existing models and the necessity of a new model, that would better explain and account for the polarization and total radio intensity characteristics of pulsars. Using the newly created simulation program, we hope to provide such a model in the near future.