FAST Pulsar and Transient Search of the M31 Bulge

We are searching the bulge of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) for radio pulsars and fast transients with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST). The maximum expected Galactic contribution to the DM along the M31 line of sight is 68 (NE2001 model) and 61 (YMW16 model) pc cm-3. This research has used the Franklin and Marshall College compute cluster which was funded through NSF grant 1925192.

Project Participants

  • Fronefield Crawford (F&M)
  • Natalia Lewandowska (Swarthmore)
  • Maura McLaughlin (WVU)
  • Duncan Lorimer (WVU)
  • Jim Cordes (Cornell)
  • Shami Chatterjee (Cornell)
  • Pei Wang (Chinese Academy of Sciences)
  • Shinnosuke Hisano (Kumamoto University)

    Data Files and Results

      Source: PSR B0136+57 (P=272.49 ms, DM=73.8)
    
      Obs Date:   20211207 (MJD 59555)
      FITS Files: B0136+57_tracking-M01_[0001,0139].fits
      FIL File:   B0136+57_tracking-M01_20211207.fil
      Obs Length: 1781 sec 
    
      Processing Results: 
      * RFI: mask plot 
      * prepfold direct fold: B0136+57 detection (sigma=9400)
      * presto perodicity search (no acceleration, DM_max 2000): B0136+57 detection (sigma=7755)
      * presto perodicity search (zmax 1200, DM_max 2000): B0136+57 detection (sigma=9546) 
      * presto single pulse search (DM vs time, 20 sec window, DM_max 2000): B0136+57 detection 
      * heimdall/fetch single pulse search (max boxcar 512, DM_max 10000): B0136+57 detection (there were 2394 pulses with p > 90%)
      * heimdall/fetch long single pulse search (decimate -t 512, max boxcar = 512, DM_max 10000): no candidates
      * riptide FFA search (DM_max 2000, 1 to 30 sec): B0136+57 detection (4th harmonic, S/N=1430) 
    
      
      Source: PSR B0136+57 (P=272.49 ms, DM=73.8)
    
      Obs Date:   20211216 (MJD 59564)
      FITS Files: B0136+57_tracking-M01_[0001,0139].fits
      FIL File:   B0136+57_tracking-M01_20211216.fil
      Obs Length: 1781 s
    
      Processing Results: 
      * RFI: mask plot
      * prepfold direct fold: B0136+57 detection (sigma=6821)
      * presto perodicity search (no acceleration, DM_max 2000): B0136+57 detection (sigma=5773)
      * presto perodicity search (zmax 1200, DM_max 2000): B0136+57 detection (sigma=5630) 
      * presto single pulse search (DM vs time, 20 sec window, DM_max 2000): B0136+57 detection
      * heimdall/fetch single pulse search (max boxcar 512, DM_max 10000): B0136+57 detection (there were 3496 pulses with p > 90%)
      * heimdall/fetch long single pulse search (decimate -t 512, max boxcar = 512, DM_max 10000): no candidates
      * riptide FFA search (DM_max 2000, 1 to 30 sec): B0136+57 detection (4th harmonic, S/N=1307) 
    
    
      Source: M31
    
      Obs Date:   20211207 (MJD 59555) 
      FITS Files: M31_snapshot-M01_[0001,0607].fits
      FIL File:   M31_snapshot-M01_20211207.fil 
      Obs Length: 7821 s
    
      Processing Results:
      * RFI: mask plot
      * presto perodicity search (no acceleration, DM_max 2000): no candidates above prepfold sigma 5.0
      * presto perodicity search (zmax 1200, DM_max 2000): 9 candidates above prepfold sigma 5.0 
      * presto chunk processing (zmax 1200, DM_max 2000, prep sigma above 6, min chunk of 600 s): no candidates 
      * presto single pulse search (plots in 900 sec windows, DM_max 2000): no good candidates above S/N 6.0
      * heimdall/fetch single pulse search (max boxcar 512, DM_max 10000): 1 candidate above S/N 7.0 (DM=70, S/N=7.2, p=0.99977976)
      * heimdall/fetch long single pulse search (decimate -t 512, max boxcar = 512, DM_max 10000): no candidates
      * riptide FFA search (DM_max 2000, 1 to 30 sec): no convincing candidates above S/N 7.0 
    
    
      Source: M31 
    
      Obs Date:   20211216 (MJD 59564)
      FITS Files: M31_snapshot-M01_[0001,0607].fits
      FIL File:   M31_snapshot-M01_20211216.fil
      Obs Length: 7821 s
    
      Processing Results:
      * RFI: mask plot
      * presto perodicity search (no acceleration, DM_max 2000): no candidates above prepfold sigma 5.0
      * presto perodicity search (zmax 1200, DM_max 2000): 1 candidate above prepfold sigma 5.0
      * presto chunk processing (zmax 1200, DM_max 2000, prep sigma above 6, min chunk of 600 s): no candidates
      * presto single pulse search (plots in 900 sec windows, DM_max 2000): no good candidates above S/N 6.0
      * heimdall/fetch single pulse search (max boxcar 512, DM_max 10000): no candidates above S/N 7.0
      * heimdall/fetch long single pulse search (decimate -t 512, max boxcar = 512, DM_max 10000): no candidates
      * riptide FFA search (DM_max 2000, 1 to 30 sec): no convincing candidates above S/N 7.0  
    
    

    Below: Image of M31 with the center beam of FAST at L-band indicated by the circle.