The Thousand-Pulsar-Array programme on MeerKAT - XX. Co-existing interacting periodicities and polarization modulation in PSR J1901-0906
Abstract
We present a comprehensive analysis of the complex subpulse modulation in PSR J1901-0906 using data from the Thousand-Pulsar-Array (TPA) programme. Our analysis reveals the coexistence of three distinct periodicities in the subpulse modulation of both profile components, which obey a beat relation. We also detect additional spectral beat features caused by the modulation of these co-existing periodicities by investigating the Fourier phase correlation in two-dimensional fluctuation spectra. Moreover, the single-pulse polarization states are shown to be modulated and synchronized with the three co-existing periodicities observed in total intensity. Such synchronization has been reported for only a small number of pulsars, but this discovery marks the only one where this synchronization involves multiple co-existing periodicities. The modulation beats are similar to, yet more complex than, the beat system previously identified in PSR J1514-4834 with higher-order harmonics playing a significant role. The coexistence of the observed beat-like periodicities in PSR J1901-0906 implies that they are not independent, but rather originate from an underlying, interconnected physical system within the pulsar magnetosphere. Building upon the same geometric framework previously applied to PSR J1514-4834, we demonstrate that a feedback system with interacting rotating carousels successfully reproduces the complex subpulse modulations observed in PSR J1901-0906 and naturally explains the beat relations.
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{hsu2026thousandpulsararray,
title = {{The Thousand-Pulsar-Array programme on MeerKAT - XX. Co-existing interacting periodicities and polarization modulation in PSR J1901-0906}},
author = {Jui-An Hsu and Patrick Weltevrede and Geoff Wright and Michael J Keith and Aris Karastergiou and Xiaoxi Song},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.16571},
eprint = {2610.16571},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.16571},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - The Thousand-Pulsar-Array programme on MeerKAT - XX. Co-existing interacting periodicities and polarization modulation in PSR J1901-0906
AU - Jui-An Hsu
AU - Patrick Weltevrede
AU - Geoff Wright
AU - Michael J Keith
AU - Aris Karastergiou
AU - Xiaoxi Song
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.16571
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.16571
AB - We present a comprehensive analysis of the complex subpulse modulation in PSR J1901-0906 using data from the Thousand-Pulsar-Array (TPA) programme. Our analysis reveals the coexistence of three distinct periodicities in the subpulse modulation of both profile components, which obey a beat relation. We also detect additional spectral beat features caused by the modulation of these co-existing periodicities by investigating the Fourier phase correlation in two-dimensional fluctuation spectra. Moreover, the single-pulse polarization states are shown to be modulated and synchronized with the three co-existing periodicities observed in total intensity. Such synchronization has been reported for only a small number of pulsars, but this discovery marks the only one where this synchronization involves multiple co-existing periodicities. The modulation beats are similar to, yet more complex than, the beat system previously identified in PSR J1514-4834 with higher-order harmonics playing a significant role. The coexistence of the observed beat-like periodicities in PSR J1901-0906 implies that they are not independent, but rather originate from an underlying, interconnected physical system within the pulsar magnetosphere. Building upon the same geometric framework previously applied to PSR J1514-4834, we demonstrate that a feedback system with interacting rotating carousels successfully reproduces the complex subpulse modulations observed in PSR J1901-0906 and naturally explains the beat relations.
ER -