Title:	Improving pulsar distances by modelling interstellar scattering
Authors:	Deshpande, A.A. Ramachandran, R.
Keywords:	SCATTERING, STARS: DISTANCES, STARS: KINEMATICS, PULSARS: GENERAL, ISM: GENERAL, HII REGIONS
Issue Date:	Oct-1998
Publisher:	Blackwell Publishing for the Royal Astronomical Society
Citation:	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1998, Vol.300, p577-582
Abstract:	We present here a method to study the distribution of electron density fluctuations in pulsar directions as well as to estimate pulsar distances. The method, based on a simple two-component model of the scattering medium discussed by Gwinn, Bartel & Cordes, uses scintillation and proper motion data in addition to the measurements of angular broadening and temporal broadening to solve for the model parameters, namely, the fractional distance to a discrete scatterer and the associated relative scattering strength. We show how this method can be used to estimate pulsar distances reliably, when the location of a discrete scatterer (e.g. an HII region), if any, is known. Considering the specific example of PSR B0736-40, we illustrate how a simple characterization of the Gum nebula region (using the data on the Vela pulsar) is possible and can be used along with the temporal broadening measurements to estimate pulsar distances.
Description:	Open Access
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/2289/1576
ISSN:	0035-8711
Alternative Location:	http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?1998MNRAS.300..577D http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998MNRAS.300..577D&link_type=ARTICLE&db_key=AST
Copyright:	(1998) Royal Astronomical Society
Appears in Collections:	Research Papers (A&A)

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