Arecibo Observatory Research Articles

The NANOGrav 15 yr Data Set: Observations and Timing of 68 Millisecond Pulsars

We present observations and timing analyses of 68 millisecond pulsars (MSPs) comprising the 15 yr data set of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav). NANOGrav is a pulsar timing array (PTA) experiment that is sensitive to low-frequency gravitational waves (GWs). This is NANOGrav’s fifth public data release, including both “narrowband” and “wideband” time-of-arrival (TOA) measurements and corresponding pulsar timing models. We have added 21 MSPs and extended our timing baselines by 3 yr, now spanning nearly 16 yr for some of our sources. The data were collected using the Arecibo Observatory, the Green Bank Telescope, and the Very Large Array between frequencies of 327 MHz and 3 GHz, with most sources observed approximately monthly. A number of notable methodological and procedural changes were made compared to our previous data sets. These improve the overall quality of the TOA data set and are part of the transition to new pulsar timing and PTA analysis software packages. For the first time, our data products are accompanied by a full suite of software to reproduce data reduction, analysis, and results. Our timing models include a variety of newly detected astrometric and binary pulsar parameters, including several significant improvements to pulsar mass constraints. We find that the time series of 23 pulsars contain detectable levels of red noise, 10 of which are new measurements. In this data set, we find evidence for a stochastic GW background.

Multi-instrument study of a spread-F event at Arecibo linked to solar wind variations

Using five diverse data sets, we demonstrate that apparently local ionospheric spread-F activity, observed with an HF radar and the Arecibo Observatory (AO) Incoherent Scatter Radars (ISR) under geomagnetically quiet conditions, is likely the local manifestation of a mesoscale or larger ionospheric response to relatively weak solar wind activity. The solar wind activity included a weak pressure pulse and Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) realignment events. The mid-latitude spread-F activity was observed with a 4.42 MHz radar located near AO and the dual-beam 430 MHz AO ISRs. Additionally, the Coupling, Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) Madrigal Global Navigation Satellite System-Total Electron Content (GNSS-TEC), the NASA OMNI, and the SuperMAG datasets were used to establish the (mesoscale/global) wide-context of the local, deep-context radar results. While the ISR event appears to be “classical” local spread-F, often attributed to Perkins-like plasma instabilities, the HF radar reveals large ionospheric structures coincident with the ISR event. However, that the apparently AO-local event was part of a very dynamic mesoscale event that lasted for over ten hours, is shown via independent AO-sector and AO-conjugate sector keograms constructed using detrended vertical TEC (delta-vTEC) data. The keograms reveal a prominent F-region feature that appears to propagate from west-to-east and then back to the west passing over AO twice. The ISR manifestation of this mesoscale event is indistinguishable from decades of similar ISR results which were assumed to be strictly “local”. The strong non-local (mesoscale) properties revealed by the delta-vTEC keograms suggest a possible space weather influence. Study of the relevant NASA OMNI solar wind and superMAG magnetometer data points to modest solar wind features including IMF realignment that may have electrodynamically launched, with little time delay, the observed mesoscale ionospheric events. Given the apparent rapid ionospheric response to the solar wind features, we suggest that limited latitudinal scale, prompt penetration electric fields (PPEF), associated with highly-localized partial ring current activity, be considered in the system-of-systems context of our observations. In any case, the need to examine magnetospheric/ionospheric electrodynamics across a wide range of instruments and data sets is demonstrated.

Searching in H i for Massive Low Surface Brightness Galaxies: Samples from HyperLeda and the UGC

A search has been made for 21 cm H i line emission in a total of 350 unique galaxies from two samples whose optical properties indicate they may be massive. The first consists of 241 low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies of morphological type Sb and later selected from the HyperLeda database and the second consists of 119 LSB galaxies from the UGC with morphological types Sd-m and later. Of the 350 unique galaxies, 239 were observed at the Nançay Radio Telescope, 161 at the Green Bank Telescope, and 66 at the Arecibo telescope. A total of 295 (84.3%) were detected, of which 253 (72.3%) appear to be uncontaminated by any other galaxies within the telescope beam. Finally, of the total detected, uncontaminated galaxies, at least 31 appear to be massive LSB galaxies, with a total H i mass ≥ 1010 M ⊙, for H 0 = 70 kms−1 Mpc−1. If we expand the definition to also include galaxies with significant total (rather than just gas) mass, i.e., those with an inclination-corrected H i line width W 50,cor > 500 km s−1, this brings the total number of massive LSB galaxies to 41. There are no obvious trends between the various measured global galaxy properties, particularly between mean surface brightness and galaxy mass.

The Arecibo Observatory's legacy and future radar capabilities

Ground-based radar systems are critical for physical and dynamical characterization of near-Earth objects (NEOs) and space debris. The operational aspect and applications of radar for planetary defense and space situational/domain awareness (SSA/SDA) are similar, but there are some factors that should be taken into account for an instrument to support both areas: planetary defense is focused on asteroids and comets in heliocentric orbit with perihelion distance <1.3 au. Special attention is given to potentially hazardous objects (PHOs), which are NEOs larger than 140 m that can come within 0.05 au (∼20 lunar distances) of Earth. Radar can quickly and accurately determine NEOs' future trajectory, therefore, the sooner an object can be observed, the safer it is to assess any possible threat. Radar is also useful to help obtaining information about the objects’ properties to plan for an impact mitigation mission if needed. For SSA, the focus is artificial objects orbiting Earth. This document presents the radar capabilities of the legacy Arecibo telescope, and explores synergistic future concepts for planetary defense and SSA.

A Search for OH 18 cm Emission from Intermediate-velocity Gas at High Galactic Latitudes

We present search results of 22 high-latitude (∣b∣ > 25°) sightlines for OH 18 cm emission using the 305 m radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory. These sightlines appear in neutral hydrogen emission at intermediate velocities −90 ≤ V LSR ≤ −20 km s−1 and are predicted to have a sufficient molecular composition so as to be detectable in molecular emission. Such objects, known as intermediate-velocity molecular clouds (IVMCs), have historically been detected through 12CO emission. Recent studies indicate that IVMCs may be widespread in the galaxy and have important implications for models of the interstellar medium and star formation. However, we report nondetections of OH emission toward the 22 sightlines and provide stringent upper limits on the OH column density. Using available H i and A v data in combination with existing state-of-the-art PDR models, we estimate H2 column densities and find that they are more than an order of magnitude lower than the predicted values. We also find that the hydrogen volume density of these clouds is ≲25 cm−3. In addition, we discuss the known IVMCs with previous 12CO detections in the context of the PDR models. Our analysis of these clouds indicates that the structure of molecular material in IVMCs is morphologically clumpy. These results motivate the need for future sensitive, on-the-fly searches (rather than targeted searches) for CO emission from IVMCs with resolutions on the order of ∼1′. High angular resolution (∼1′) H i and A v data will also be helpful to better constrain the structure and composition of IVMCs.

Measurements of the Crab Pulsar’s Giant Radio Pulse Amplitude Power-law Index Using Low-frequency Arecibo and Green Bank Telescope Observations

We report two low-frequency measurements of the power-law index for the amplitudes of giant radio pulses from the Crab pulsar. The two observations were taken with the Arecibo and Green Bank radio telescopes at center frequencies of 327 MHz and 350 MHz, respectively. We find best-fit values for the differential power-law index β (where and S is the pulse amplitude) of −2.63 ± 0.05 and −3.6 ± 0.5 from the Arecibo and Green Bank data sets, respectively. Both values are broadly consistent with other values previously measured for the Crab pulsar at low radio frequencies. These reported values may be useful in future giant pulse studies of the Crab pulsar.

Vacuum Arcs on Solar Array Surfaces

Arcs on the solar arrays appear to be the most plausible source for the electromagnetic radiation observed with the Arecibo radio telescope. In the laboratory, electrostatic discharges (arcs) on solar array coupons were studied in a simulated geosynchronous equatorial orbit environment. Arc current pulses were recorded with a high time resolution (up to 0.2 ns). Spectral properties of these pulses demonstrated no monotonic behavior but rather separated peaks within the frequency range of 100–1000 MHz. Electromagnetic radiation from these arcs was registered and recorded with a Yagi antenna 8 m distant from the arc site, and a high-speed oscilloscope. Analysis of the spectra resulted in the discovery of well-separated “lines.” Evaluation of arc current spectra and radio-frequency spectra revealed statistically significant patterns in the frequency domain. Measured radio fluxes and theoretical estimates of the power of electromagnetic radiation from arcs on spacecraft solar arrays strongly argue in favor of the arcing hypothesis for the source of this radiation. These results have enabled considerable progress to be made in understanding the physical nature of the generation of electromagnetic radiation by transient vacuum discharges.

Nondetection of CHIME/Fast Radio Burst Sources with the Arecibo Observatory

In this work, we present follow-up observations of two known repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) and seven nonrepeating FRBs with complex morphology discovered with the CHIME/FRB project. These observations were conducted with the Arecibo Observatory 327 MHz receiver. We detected no additional bursts from these sources, nor did CHIME/FRB detect any additional bursts from these sources during our follow-up program. Based on these nondetections, we provide constraints on the repetition rate for all nine sources. We calculate repetition rates above 1 Jy using both a Poisson distribution of repetition and the Weibull distribution of repetition presented by Oppermann et al. For both distributions we find repetition upper limits of the order λ = 10−2–10−1 hr−1 for all sources. These rates are much lower than those published for notable repeating FRBs like FRB 20121102A and FRB 20201124A, suggesting the possibility of a low-repetition subpopulation.

Long‐Term Trends in the Upper Atmosphere Using the Incoherent Scatter Radar Observations Over Arecibo

AbstractUpper atmospheric long‐term trends have been characterized through the analysis of the ionospheric ion temperature (Ti). Previous studies used Ti observations from various incoherent scatter radar (ISR) facilities located at different latitudes. In this paper, we analyze Arecibo Observatory's (AO) ISR (18°20’N, 66°45’W) data sets from 1985 to 2019 to detect Ti long‐term trends as a function of altitude from ∼140 to ∼677 km. We empirically modeled the responses of Ti to the known forcings of solar activity, geomagnetic activity, and the annual and semi‐annual oscillations. The Ti trend is determined through least squares fitting to the residuals of the Ti, which were estimated by removing the empirically modeled Ti from the observed Ti. Since the ions and neutrals are closely coupled, our results indicate that the upper atmosphere/ionosphere over Arecibo has been cooling over the 35 years studied. Above 350 km, a latitudinal dependency is seen by comparison of all ISR estimated Ti trends, which agrees with the earlier reported results. These observed cooling trends exceed the magnitude expected by the modeling studies from increased greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations. These excess coolings are as high as −1.2 K/year below 320 km altitude, where an increase in GHG dominates. Nighttime cooling trends in the altitude of ∼320–400 km might be caused by the increasing GHG concentrations and magnetic field variations since the trends of AO‐ISR match with the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model eXtension simulations.

GNOMES II: Analysis of the Galactic diffuse molecular ISM in all four ground state hydroxyl transitions using Amoeba

Abstract We present observations of the four $^2 \Pi _{3/2}\,J=3/2$ ground-rotational state transitions of the hydroxyl molecule (OH) along 107 lines of sight both in and out of the Galactic plane: 92 sets of observations from the Arecibo telescope and 15 sets of observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). Our Arecibo observations included off-source pointings, allowing us to measure excitation temperature ( $T_{\rm ex}$ ) and optical depth, while our ATCA observations give optical depth only. We perform Gaussian decomposition using the Automated Molecular Excitation Bayesian line-fitting Algorithm ‘Amoeba’ (Petzler, Dawson, &amp; Wardle 2021, ApJ, 923, 261) fitting all four transitions simultaneously with shared centroid velocity and width. We identify 109 features across 38 sightlines (including 58 detections along 27 sightlines with excitation temperature measurements). While the main lines at 1665 and 1667 MHz tend to have similar excitation temperatures (median $|\Delta T_{\rm ex}({\rm main})|=0.6\,$ K, 84% show $|\Delta T_{\rm ex}({\rm main})|&lt;2\,$ K), large differences in the 1612 and 1720 MHz satellite line excitation temperatures show that the gas is generally not in LTE. For a selection of sightlines, we compare our OH features to associated (on-sky and in velocity) Hi cold gas components (CNM) identified by Nguyen et al. (2019, ApJ, 880, 141) and find no strong correlations. We speculate that this may indicate an effective decoupling of the molecular gas from the CNM once it accumulates.

Constraining the Limitations of NEATM-like Models: A Case Study with Near-Earth Asteroid (285263) 1998 QE2

Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are a key test bed for investigations into planet formation, asteroid dynamics, and planetary defense initiatives. These studies rely on understanding NEA sizes, albedo distributions, and regolith properties. Simple thermal models are a commonly used method for determining these properties; however, they have inherent limitations owing to the simplifying assumptions they make about asteroid shapes and properties. With the recent collapse of the Arecibo Telescope and a decrease of direct size measurements, as well as future facilities such as LSST and NEO Surveyor coming online soon, these models will play an increasingly important role in our knowledge of the NEA population. Therefore, it is key to understand the limits of these models. In this work we constrain the limitations of simple thermal models by comparing model results to more complex thermophysical models, radar data, and other existing analyses. Furthermore, we present a method for placing tighter constraints on inferred NEA properties using simple thermal models. These comparisons and constraints are explored using the NEA (285263) 1998 QE2 as a case study. We analyze QE2 with a simple thermal model and data from both the NASA IRTF SpeX instrument and NEOWISE mission. We determine an albedo between 0.05 and 0.10 and thermal inertia between 0 and 425J m−2 s−1/2 K−1. We find that overall the simple thermal model is able to well constrain the properties of QE2; however, we find that model uncertainties can be influenced by topography, viewing geometry, and the wavelength range of data used.

Relativistic effects in a mildly recycled pulsar binary: PSR J1952+2630

We report the results of timing observations of PSR J1952+2630, a 20.7 ms pulsar in orbit with a massive white dwarf companion. We performed six months of timing observations with the Arecibo radio telescope in 2020 and used data from FAST from 2021. Together with previously published data, this represents a total timing baseline of 11 yr since the discovery of the pulsar in 2010. For the first time, we present a polarimetric profile of the pulsar and determine its rotation measure (RM), − 145.79 ± 0.15 rad m−2. With the increased timing baseline, we obtain improved estimates for astrometric, spin, and binary parameters for this system. In particular, we obtain an imporvement of an order of magnitude on the proper motion, and, for the first time, we detect three post-Keplerian parameters in this system: the advance of periastron ω̇, the orbital decay Ṗb, and the Shapiro delay (measured in the form of the h3 parameter). With the detection of these relativistic effects, we constrain the pulsar mass to 1.20−0.29+0.28 M⊙ and the mass of its companion to 0.97−0.13+0.16 M⊙. The current value of Ṗb is consistent with the General Relativity expectation for the masses obtained using ω̇ and h3. The excess (4.2−73.1+70.2 fs s−1) represents a limit on the emission of dipolar gravitational waves (GWs) from this system. This results in a limit on the difference in effective scalar couplings for the pulsar and companion (predicted by scalar-tensor theories of gravity; STTs) of |αp − αc|&lt; 4.8 × 10−3 (68% C.L.), which does not yield a competitive test for STTs. However, our simulations of future timing campaigns of this system, based on the timing precision we have achieved with FAST, show that by 2032, the precision of Ṗb and ω̇ will allow for much more precise masses and much tighter constraints on the orbital decay contribution from dipolar GWs, resulting in |αp − αc|&lt; 1.3 × 10−3 (68% C.L.). For comparison, we obtain |αp − αc|&lt; 1.9 × 10−3 and &lt; 3.3 × 10−3 from PSR J1738+0333 and PSR J2222−0137, respectively. We also present the constraints this system will place on the {α0, β0} parameters of Damour-Esposito-Farèse (DEF) gravity by 2032. They are comparable to those of PSR J1738+0333. Unlike PSR J1738+0333, PSR J1952+2630 will not be limited in its mass measurement and has the potential to place even more restrictive limits on DEF gravity in the future. Further improvements to this test will likely be limited by uncertainties in the kinematic contributions to Ṗb because of the lack of precise distance measurements.

Confining Burst Energy Function and Spectral Fringe Pattern of FRB 20121102A with Multifrequency Observations

The observed spectral shapes variation and tentative bimodal burst energy distribution (E-distribution) of fast radio burst (FRB) 20121102A with the FAST telescope are great puzzles. Adopting the published multifrequency data observed with the FAST and Arecibo telescopes at L band and the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) at C band, we investigate these puzzles through Monte Carlo simulations. The intrinsic energy function (E-function) is modeled as , and the spectral profile is described as a Gaussian function. A fringe pattern of its spectral peak frequency (ν p ) in 0.5–8 GHz is inferred from the ν p distribution of the GBT sample. We estimate the likelihood of α E and the standard deviation of the spectral profile (σ s) by utilizing the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test probability for the observed and simulated specific E-distributions. Our simulations yield , and (3σ confidence level) with the FAST sample. These results suggest that a single power-law function is adequate to model the E-function of FRB 20121102A. The variations of its observed spectral indices and E-distributions with telescopes in different frequency ranges are due to both physical and observational reasons, i.e., narrow spectral width for a single burst and discrete ν p fringe pattern in a broad frequency range among bursts, and the selection effects of the telescope bandpass and sensitivity. The putative ν p fringe pattern cannot be explained with the current radiation physics models of FRBs. Some caveats of possible artificial effects that may introduce such a feature are discussed.

Probing the Plasma Tail of Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov

We present an occultation study of compact radio sources by the plasma tail of interstellar comet 2I/Borisov (C/2019 Q4) both pre- and near-perihelion using the Arecibo and Green Bank radio telescopes. The interplanetary scintillation technique was used to probe the plasma tail at the P band (302–352 MHz), 820 MHz, and the L band (1120–1730 MHz). The presence and absence of scintillation at different perpendicular distances from the central axis of the plasma tail suggests a narrow tail of less than 6′ at a distance of ∼10′ (∼106 km) from the comet nucleus. Data recorded during the occultation of B1019+083 on 2019 October 31 with the Arecibo Telescope covered the width of the plasma tail from its outer region to the central axis. The systematic increase in scintillation during the occultation provides the plasma properties associated with the tail when the comet was at its pre-perihelion phase. The excess level of L-band scintillation indicates a plasma density enhancement of ∼15–20 times that of the background solar wind. The evolving shape of the observed scintillation power spectra across the tail from its edge to the central axis suggests a density spectrum flatter than Kolmogorov and that the plasma density irregularity scales present in the tail range between 10 and 700 km. The discovery of a high-frequency spectral excess corresponding to irregularity scales much smaller than the Fresnel scale suggests the presence of small-scale density structures in the plasma tail, likely caused by interaction between the solar wind and the plasma environment formed by the comet.

Plasma lensing near the eclipses of the Black Widow pulsar B1957+20

ABSTRACT Recently, several eclipsing millisecond pulsars have been shown to experience strong and apparent weak lensing from the outflow of their ionized companions. Lensing can be a powerful probe of the ionized plasma, with the strongest lenses potentially resolving emission regions of pulsars. Understanding lensing in the ‘laboratory-like’ conditions of an eclipsing pulsar may be analogously applied to fast radio bursts, many of which reside in dense, magnetized environments. We examined variable dispersion measure (DM), absorption, scattering, and flux density in the original Black Widow pulsar PSR B1957+20 through an eclipse at the Arecibo Observatory at $327\, {\rm MHz}$. We discovered clear evidence of the two regimes of lensing, strong, and apparent weak. We show that the flux density variations in the apparently weak lensing regime can be modelled directly from variations of DM, using geometric optics. The mean effective velocities in the ingress, $(954\pm 99)\, {\rm km\, s^{-1}}$, and egress $(604\pm 47)\, {\rm km\, s^{-1}}$ cannot be explained by orbital motions alone, but are consistent with significant outflow velocity of material from the companion. We also show that geometric optics can predict when and where the lensing regime-change between weak and strong occurs, and argue that the apparent weak lensing is due to averaging many images. Our framework can be applied in any source with variable electron columns, measuring their relative velocities and distances. In other eclipsing pulsars, this provides a unique opportunity to measure companion outflow velocity, predict regions of weak and strong lensing, and in principle independently constrain orbital inclinations.

The FRB 20121102A November rain in 2018 observed with the Arecibo Telescope

ABSTRACT We present 849 new bursts from FRB 20121102A detected with the 305-m Arecibo Telescope. Observations were conducted as part of our regular campaign to monitor activity and evolution of burst properties. The 10 reported observations were carried out between 1150 and $1730\, {\rm MHz}$ and fall in the active period around 2018 November. All bursts were dedispersed at the same dispersion measure and are consistent with a single value of $(562.4 \pm 0.1)\, {\rm pc\, cm^{-3}}$. The rate varies between 0 bursts and 218 ± 16 bursts per hour, the highest rate observed to date. The times between consecutive bursts show a bimodal distribution. We find that a Poisson process with varying rate best describes arrival times with separations ${\gt}{0.1\, {\rm s}}$. Clustering on time-scales of $22\, {\rm ms}$ reflects a characteristic time-scale of the source and possibly the emission mechanism. We analyse the spectro-temporal structure of the bursts by fitting 2D Gaussians with a temporal drift to each sub-burst in the dynamic spectra. We find a linear relationship between the sub-burst’s drift and its duration. At the same time, the drifts are consistent with coming from the sad-trombone effect. This has not been predicted by current models. The energy distribution shows an excess of high-energy bursts and is insufficiently modelled by a single power law even within single observations. We find long-term changes in the energy distribution, the average spectrum, and the sad-trombone drift, compared to earlier and later published observations. Despite the large burst rate, we find no strict short-term periodicity.

Modeling the thermal environment of Mercury’s north pole using MLA. Implications for locations of water ice

Radar observations made by the Arecibo Observatory have revealed radar-bright deposits in the north polar region of Mercury which are consistent with water ice. These deposits are generally associated with floors of deep craters in permanent shadow. In this paper, we revisit topographic data, illumination, and associated thermal conditions of the north polar region of Mercury to investigate these radar-bright deposits. We used Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) data from the MESSENGER mission to derive a dedicated, adjusted high-resolution Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of the north polar region at 250 m/pixel. Based on this DTM, illumination conditions and temperature were derived for the first time on the fully available MLA dataset. Generally, craters equatorward of 86 ∘N are found to be too hot to contain surface water ice due to effective self-heating. For those warm craters that do contain radar-bright deposits, temperatures within the upper 10–20 cm of regolith are cold enough for water ice to be stable. Using our improved DTM, we confirm previously MLA-modeled illumination conditions in Prokofiev crater and argue that radar-bright patches outside the PSR in the area may be explained by icy deposits in cold and shallow (within 5 cm) sub-surface layers. In the radar observations we find a strong, unphysical correlation between radar-bright pixels and the number of radar observations per pixel. Consequently, several PSRs which were classified as free of radar-bright material (mainly at longitudes 120–340 ∘E) are most likely subject to a bias in the averaging process in deriving the composite radar image and might contain water ice after all.

High‐Resolution Observation of Heater‐Induced Daytime Plasma Fluctuations at Arecibo

AbstractIonospheric heating is known to induce density and temperature irregularities in the ionospheric plasma, which have been observed by various in‐situ and radar techniques. Analysis of incoherent scatter radar (ISR) plasma line spectra offers high resolution reconstruction of ionospheric features, but the plasma line profile is frequently difficult to reconstruct at altitudes where the heater is generating Langmuir turbulence and thus creating additional signals in the ISR spectrum. This work presents a novel, automated method based on Gabor filter image analysis to reconstruct plasma line spectra recorded with the coded long‐pulse technique. The method permits the unsupervised reconstruction of the Langmuir frequency with resolution in frequency (sub‐kHz) and altitude (∼300 m) typical of the coded long‐pulse technique even in regions directly coupling to the heater. The technique is applied to ISR data from the June 2019 Arecibo Observatory heating experiment, demonstrating the formation of field‐aligned irregularities of magnitude ∼0.5% in the Langmuir frequency during daytime conditions and spatial scale perpendicular to the magnetic field (fluctuation periodicity of several kilometers, corresponding to k ≈ 1 km−1) consistent with the patches of depletions of free electrons previously observed by in‐situ methods. Additionally, the method allows observation of the formation and evolution of the bunches over the course of several hours. Additional F‐layer irregularities were found in the ambient ionosphere in regions away from the heater coupling altitude. The automated nature of this technique offers the potential for precision analysis of Arecibo's ISR data archives for a variety of ionospheric physics applications.

Radio pulsar beam geometry down to the 100-MHz band: 76 additional sources within the Arecibo Sky

ABSTRACT This paper provides analyses of the emission beam structure of 76 ‘B’-named pulsars within the Arecibo sky. Most of these objects are included in both the Gould &amp; Lyne and LOFAR High Band surveys and thus complement our other works treating various parts of these populations. These comprise a further group of mostly well-studied pulsars within the Arecibo sky that we here treat similarly to those in Olszanski et al. – and extend our overall efforts to study all of the pulsars in both surveys. The analyses are based on observations made with the Arecibo Telescope at 327 MHz and 1.4 GHz. Many have been observed at frequencies down to 100 MHz using either LOFAR or the Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory as well as a few with the Long Wavelength Array at lower frequencies. This work uses the Arecibo observations as a foundation for interpreting the low frequency profiles and emission-beam geometries. We attempt to build quantitative geometric emission-beam models using the core/double-cone topology, while reviewing the evidence of previous studies and arguments for previous classifications on these sources. These efforts were successful for all but two pulsars, and interesting new subpulse modulation patterns were identified in a number of the objects. We interpret the Arecibo pulsar population in the context of the entire population of ‘B’ pulsars.

Surface scattering model for dual-polarization planetary radars

This work presents a surface scattering model to interpret radar polarimetry derived from dual-polarization planetary radar systems, such as Arecibo Observatory and the Goldstone Solar System Radar. This model divides surface scattering contributions within a radar echo into quasi-specular and diffuse components, and further divides the quasi-specular component into single- and double-bounce scattering. In particular, the increase in the degree of linear polarization resulting from dihedral double-bounce scattering is emphasized, in addition to the increase in the circular polarization ratio. This mechanism is illustrated in radar observations of young craters on the Moon by the Mini-RF radar on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Arecibo radar observations of 8 near-Earth asteroids are compared to this model and the implications for the physical properties of these objects are discussed. This work provides new insight in interpreting radar polarimetry from dual-polarization planetary radar systems and is broadly applicable to all solar system targets.