Parkes observations for project P972 semester 2018OCTS_05

Full description

50 years after the discovery of pulsars, these objects continue to push the boundaries in the testing of fundamental physics, most notably in General Relativity and in understanding the equation of state of cold, dense, nuclear matter. A number of pressing open questions remain, as basic as understanding pulsar orientation and radio beam geometry, and as complicated as understanding the plasma conditions that set their spectrum and degree of polarisation. Progress has mainly been limited by telescope sensitivity and simultaneous frequency coverage. The Parkes Ultra-Wideband receiver will change the game. We propose observations focused on a small group of bright pulsars to answer key questions on the pulsar emission process. We focus on three key observables, measured in individual pulses and average pulse profiles, across the widest available frequency range: the total power, the linear and circular polarisation, and the polarisation position angle profile across the pulse. The data will allow us to separate intrinsic emission properties from propagation effects in the pulsar magnetosphere and the interstellar medium, in a way that has never before been possible.