Description
Giant pulses (GPs) are short bursts of highly energetic and significantly polarized radio emission, observed in a handful of pulsars. Competing theories suggest GPs originate from vacuum gaps near the neutron star surface, or alternatively near the outskirts of the pulsar magnetosphere. Agnostic to our prescription for what is causing the GP emission, observations suggest GPs and regular pulsed emissions have different emission mechanisms and points of origin within the pulsar magnetosphere. Moreover, similarities between the energy distribution of GPs and repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) hint at a common underlying mechanism.
We will present preliminary results from Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) observations of PSR B1937+21, a known GP emitter. We investigated the GP emission in the 550-850 MHz frequency range, whereas prior GP studies of B1937+21 looked in the much higher 1.3-1.5 GHz frequency range. Together these studies will combine to provide insights into the broadband characteristics of GPs and possibly the underlying emission mechanism. Furthermore, advancement in the tools and methods used for detecting GPs is essential, especially with telescopes like CHIME capable of monitoring GP emitters daily. A rapid pipeline to filter through large volumes of observations will enable more efficient and timely analysis; which may facilitate breakthroughs in our understanding of both GPs and FRBs.
