Zeno Swijtink
08-19-2010, 06:11 PM
Published Online August 12, 2010
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1195253
Science Express Index
BREVIA
Pulsar Discovery by Global Volunteer Computing
B. Knispel,1,2,* B. Allen,1,3,2 J. M. Cordes,4 J. S. Deneva,5 D. Anderson,6 C. Aulbert,1,2 N. D. R. Bhat,7 O. Bock,1,2 S. Bogdanov,8 A. Brazier,9,4 F. Camilo,10 D. J. Champion,11 S. Chatterjee,4 F. Crawford,12 P. B. Demorest,13 H. Fehrmann,1,2 P. C. C. Freire,11 M. E. Gonzalez,14 D. Hammer,3 J. W. T. Hessels,15,16 F. A. Jenet,17 L. Kasian,14 V. M. Kaspi,8 M. Kramer,11,18 P. Lazarus,8 J. van Leeuwen,15,16 D. R. Lorimer,19,13 A. G. Lyne,18 B. Machenschalk,1,2 M. A. McLaughlin,19,13 C. Messenger,1,2 D. J. Nice,20 M. A. Papa,21,3 H. J. Pletsch,1,2 R. Prix,1,2 S. M. Ransom,13 X. Siemens,3 I. H. Stairs,14 B. W. Stappers,18 K. Stovall,17 A. Venkataraman5
Einstein@Home (https://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/) aggregates the computer power of hundreds of thousands of volunteers from 192 countries to "mine" large data sets. It has now found a 40.8-hertz isolated pulsar in radio survey data from the Arecibo Observatory taken in February 2007. Additional timing observations indicate that this pulsar is likely a disrupted recycled pulsar. PSR J2007+2722's pulse profile is remarkably wide with emission over almost the entire spin period; the pulsar likely has closely aligned magnetic and spin axes. The massive computing power provided by volunteers should enable many more such discoveries.
1 Albert-Einstein-Institut, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, D-30167 Hannover, Germany.
2 Leibniz Universität Hannover, D-30167 Hannover, Germany.
3 Physics Dept., U. of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211 USA.
4 Astronomy Dept., Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
5 Arecibo Observatory, HC3 Box 53995, Arecibo, PR 00612.
6 University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
7 Swinburne U., Center for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia.
8 Dept. of Physics, McGill Univ., Montreal, QC H3A2T8, Canada.
9 NAIC, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
10 Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia Univ., New York, NY 10027, USA.
11 Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn, Germany.
12 Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA 17604–3003, USA.
13 NRAO (National Radio Astronomy Observatory), Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA.
14 Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada.
15 Netherlands Inst. for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), Postbus 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo, Netherlands.
16 Astron. Inst. "Anton Pannekoek," Univ. of Amsterdam, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, Netherlands.
17 Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy, U. Texas - Brownsville, TX 78520, USA.
18 Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophys., School of Phys. and Astr., U. of Manchester, Manch., M13 9PL, UK.
19 Dept. of Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
20 Dept. of Physics, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, USA.
21 Albert-Einstein-Institut, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, D-14476 Golm, Germany.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1195253
Science Express Index
BREVIA
Pulsar Discovery by Global Volunteer Computing
B. Knispel,1,2,* B. Allen,1,3,2 J. M. Cordes,4 J. S. Deneva,5 D. Anderson,6 C. Aulbert,1,2 N. D. R. Bhat,7 O. Bock,1,2 S. Bogdanov,8 A. Brazier,9,4 F. Camilo,10 D. J. Champion,11 S. Chatterjee,4 F. Crawford,12 P. B. Demorest,13 H. Fehrmann,1,2 P. C. C. Freire,11 M. E. Gonzalez,14 D. Hammer,3 J. W. T. Hessels,15,16 F. A. Jenet,17 L. Kasian,14 V. M. Kaspi,8 M. Kramer,11,18 P. Lazarus,8 J. van Leeuwen,15,16 D. R. Lorimer,19,13 A. G. Lyne,18 B. Machenschalk,1,2 M. A. McLaughlin,19,13 C. Messenger,1,2 D. J. Nice,20 M. A. Papa,21,3 H. J. Pletsch,1,2 R. Prix,1,2 S. M. Ransom,13 X. Siemens,3 I. H. Stairs,14 B. W. Stappers,18 K. Stovall,17 A. Venkataraman5
Einstein@Home (https://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/) aggregates the computer power of hundreds of thousands of volunteers from 192 countries to "mine" large data sets. It has now found a 40.8-hertz isolated pulsar in radio survey data from the Arecibo Observatory taken in February 2007. Additional timing observations indicate that this pulsar is likely a disrupted recycled pulsar. PSR J2007+2722's pulse profile is remarkably wide with emission over almost the entire spin period; the pulsar likely has closely aligned magnetic and spin axes. The massive computing power provided by volunteers should enable many more such discoveries.
1 Albert-Einstein-Institut, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, D-30167 Hannover, Germany.
2 Leibniz Universität Hannover, D-30167 Hannover, Germany.
3 Physics Dept., U. of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211 USA.
4 Astronomy Dept., Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
5 Arecibo Observatory, HC3 Box 53995, Arecibo, PR 00612.
6 University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
7 Swinburne U., Center for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia.
8 Dept. of Physics, McGill Univ., Montreal, QC H3A2T8, Canada.
9 NAIC, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
10 Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia Univ., New York, NY 10027, USA.
11 Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn, Germany.
12 Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA 17604–3003, USA.
13 NRAO (National Radio Astronomy Observatory), Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA.
14 Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada.
15 Netherlands Inst. for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), Postbus 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo, Netherlands.
16 Astron. Inst. "Anton Pannekoek," Univ. of Amsterdam, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, Netherlands.
17 Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy, U. Texas - Brownsville, TX 78520, USA.
18 Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophys., School of Phys. and Astr., U. of Manchester, Manch., M13 9PL, UK.
19 Dept. of Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
20 Dept. of Physics, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, USA.
21 Albert-Einstein-Institut, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, D-14476 Golm, Germany.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]