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Modeling and Maximum Likelihood Fitting of Gamma-Ray and Radio Light Curves of Millisecond Pulsars Detected with FermiPulsed gamma rays have been detected with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) from more than 20 millisecond pulsars (MSPs), some of which were discovered in radio observations of bright, unassociated LAT sources. We have fit the radio and gamma-ray light curves of 19 LAT-detected MSPs in the context of geometric, outermagnetospheric emission models assuming the retarded vacuum dipole magnetic field using a Markov chain Monte Carlo maximum likelihood technique. We find that, in many cases, the models are able to reproduce the observed light curves well and provide constraints on the viewing geometries that are in agreement with those from radio polarization measurements. Additionally, for some MSPs we constrain the altitudes of both the gamma-ray and radio emission regions. The best-fit magnetic inclination angles are found to cover a broader range than those of non-recycled gamma-ray pulsars.
Document ID
20120009377
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Johnson, T. J.
(Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
Harding, A. K.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Venter, C.
(Potchefstroom Univ. for Christian Higher Education South Africa)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2012
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Report/Patent Number
GSFC.JA.6047.2012
Meeting Information
Meeting: 2011 Fermi Symposium
Location: Rome
Country: Italy
Start Date: May 9, 2011
End Date: May 12, 2011
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NASA Order S-15633-Y
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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