Radio pulsars are rapidly rotating highly magnetized neutron stars. Studies of these fascinating objects have provided applications in solid-state physics, general relativity, galactic astronomy, astrometry, planetary physics and even cosmology. Most of these applications and much of what we know about neutron stars are derived from single-dish radio observations using state-of-the-art receivers and data acquisition systems. This comprehensive book is a unique resource that brings together the key observational techniques, background information and a review of the latest results, including the recent discovery of a double pulsar system. Useful software tools are provided which can be used to analyse example data, made available on a related website.
Introduction; 1. Basic pulsar properties; 2. Pulsars as physical tools; 3. Theoretical background; 4. Instrumentation for pulsar observations; 5. Observing known pulsars; 6. Finding new pulsars; 7. Pulsar timing; 8. Beyond single radio dishes; Appendix.
Duncan Lorimer is a Senior Royal Society Research Fellow at Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of Manchester. Michael Kramer is a Reader in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester.
'This is a book which is well-timed and well-written and deserves to be read by a wider audience than that at which it is aimed.' The Observatory