20–27 Mar 2026
Wild View Resorts
Africa/Gaborone timezone

Studying the southerly eclipsing millisecond pulsar J1748−2446A using MeerKAT

Not scheduled
20m
Wild View Resorts

Wild View Resorts

Plot 80 President Avenue, Kasane, Botswana
In-person - Poster Presentation 10 S&E poster Science & Engineering

Speaker

Senate Lekomola

Description

We present a detailed study of the spider binary system PSR J1748-2446A in the globular cluster Terzan 5, utilizing high-resolution radio observations from the MeerTime project on the MeerKAT telescope. In this unique system, a millisecond pulsar (MSP) is in a tight orbit with a low-mass companion star, resulting in complex interactions and eclipsing phenomena. Notably, the pulsar’s intense radiation and wind strip material from the companion, leading to the formation of an outflow that acts as a plasma lens, magnifying the pulsar’s radio emissions during eclipses. Our observations capture this lensing effect, providing an opportunity to investigate the pulse characteristics and polarization properties of the MSP with enhanced precision. We document significant profile changes, time of arrival variations, and fluctuations in brightness during the lensing events.

Stream Science or Engineering

Primary author

Senate Lekomola

Presentation materials

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