Parkes observations for project P866 semester 2014OCTS

Full description

Studies of the 23 MSPs in the globular cluster (GC) 47 Tucanae (47 Tuc) have provided a wealth of interesting science. Timing of these MSPs (all with periods between 2 and 8 ms) has enabled us to probe the environment and dynamics of the cluster in impressive detail and has allowed us to put constraints on the masses of several of the pulsars. However, previous studies of the cluster were limited by the hardware used. The AFB provided 1-bit digitisation and relatively coarse 88 us sampling. Through the use of the CASPSR backend, we will observe 47 Tuc and its 23 MSPs with unprecedented time resolution. For timing we will achieve almost two orders of magnitude better time resolution, allowing us to resolve out features in the profiles of several cluster pulsars, greatly improving their timing accuracy. For search purposes the CASPSR backend will provide a coherently dedispersed filterbank file at the cluster's dispersion measure. We will search this data using state-of-the-art GPU acceleration searching codes to hunt for compact binary systems. In tandem with timing and searching, we will perform real-time transient searching to hunt for fast radio bursts (FRBs). Through shadowing with the Molonglo telescope, we will be able to provide the best localisation, spectral index measurement and repetition limits for any detected FRB. This will provide us with much needed information for multi-wavelength follow-up and will give new insight into the origins of these mysterious events.