Parkes observations for project P1238 semester 2024OCTS_03

Full description

Young and energetic pulsars can power strong pulsar wind nebula (PWN), which can be observed from radio to X-ray and beyond. Leveraging the sensitivity and high-resolution of next-generation radio surveys like ASKAP EMU and SARAO MeerKAT 1.3 GHz Galactic Plane Survey (SMGPS), we are now able to identify pulsar candidates associated with PWNe and SNRs. We can then use these PWN and SNR associations to guide our search of radio pulsars. This strategy was demonstrated successful by our recent discoveries of two high dispersion measure (DM) pulsars powering a bow-shocked PWNe using ASKAP EMU radio continuum images. Recently, we analysed several SMGPS fields and identified seven PWNe candidates potentially associated to three new and four known Galactic SNRs. Here we propose to use the Parkes UWL receiver to carry out the targeted search of radio pulsars powering these PWNe. Since these SNRs are located in Galactic plane and can be distant, we expect them to have large DMs. Such high DMs will lead to strong scattering and smearing and make pulsars undetectable in previous pulsar surveys. The wide frequency coverage of UWL, especially the high frequencies, will allow us to avoid these effects and therefore offer us a better chance to find these pulsars.