Deciphering Profile Stability in Millisecond Pulsars: Timescales, Frequency Evolution, and Implications on Emission Mechanisms
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866909791179243520 |
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| author | Ghosh, Ankita Bhattacharyya, Bhaswati Sharan, Rahul Weltevrede, Patrick Roy, Jayanta Kumari, Sangita |
| author_facet | Ghosh, Ankita Bhattacharyya, Bhaswati Sharan, Rahul Weltevrede, Patrick Roy, Jayanta Kumari, Sangita |
| contents | Pulse profile stability in millisecond pulsars (MSPs) is a key factor in achieving high-precision timing essential for detecting nanohertz gravitational waves with Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs). In this work, we present a systematic analysis of profile stabilization timescales in MSPs using a direct method based on pulse stacking, applied to long-term multi-epoch observations. Our study utilizes data from the upgraded GMRT (uGMRT) between 300--750 MHz for nine MSPs over 3--5 years and Parkes Ultra-Wideband low-frequency receiver observations (Parkes UWL; covering 704--4032 MHz) for three of them. We find that stable profiles typically require averaging over $10^{5}$--$10^{6}$ pulses. This is the first time such a quantitative approach has been applied to MSPs across a wide frequency range, providing an indirect but practical estimate of jitter noise, a dominant noise source in PTA datasets. We observe that stabilization timescales depend on signal-to-noise ratio, pulse morphology, and surface magnetic field strength, with a moderate correlation indicating a possible role of the magnetic field in emission stability. A complementary single-epoch analysis of nine bright MSPs with uGMRT Band-3 (300--500 MHz) reinforces these results and demonstrates the method's applicability to broader MSP populations. We show that a strong correlation exists between profile-stability slope and the jitter parameter, implying that for faint MSPs, profile-stability analysis can act as an effective proxy for intrinsic pulse-shape variability. Our work provides a novel and scalable framework to assess intrinsic profile variability, helping to guide integration time choices and reduce timing noise in PTA experiments. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_12781 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Deciphering Profile Stability in Millisecond Pulsars: Timescales, Frequency Evolution, and Implications on Emission Mechanisms Ghosh, Ankita Bhattacharyya, Bhaswati Sharan, Rahul Weltevrede, Patrick Roy, Jayanta Kumari, Sangita High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Pulse profile stability in millisecond pulsars (MSPs) is a key factor in achieving high-precision timing essential for detecting nanohertz gravitational waves with Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs). In this work, we present a systematic analysis of profile stabilization timescales in MSPs using a direct method based on pulse stacking, applied to long-term multi-epoch observations. Our study utilizes data from the upgraded GMRT (uGMRT) between 300--750 MHz for nine MSPs over 3--5 years and Parkes Ultra-Wideband low-frequency receiver observations (Parkes UWL; covering 704--4032 MHz) for three of them. We find that stable profiles typically require averaging over $10^{5}$--$10^{6}$ pulses. This is the first time such a quantitative approach has been applied to MSPs across a wide frequency range, providing an indirect but practical estimate of jitter noise, a dominant noise source in PTA datasets. We observe that stabilization timescales depend on signal-to-noise ratio, pulse morphology, and surface magnetic field strength, with a moderate correlation indicating a possible role of the magnetic field in emission stability. A complementary single-epoch analysis of nine bright MSPs with uGMRT Band-3 (300--500 MHz) reinforces these results and demonstrates the method's applicability to broader MSP populations. We show that a strong correlation exists between profile-stability slope and the jitter parameter, implying that for faint MSPs, profile-stability analysis can act as an effective proxy for intrinsic pulse-shape variability. Our work provides a novel and scalable framework to assess intrinsic profile variability, helping to guide integration time choices and reduce timing noise in PTA experiments. |
| title | Deciphering Profile Stability in Millisecond Pulsars: Timescales, Frequency Evolution, and Implications on Emission Mechanisms |
| topic | High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.12781 |