Improving Pulsar Distances by Modelling Interstellar Scattering

Abstract

We present here a method to study the distribution of electron density fluctuations in pulsar directions as well as to estimate pulsar distances. The method, based on a simple two-component model of the scattering medium discussed by Gwinn et al. (1993), uses scintillation & proper motion data in addition to the measurements of angular broadening & temporal broadening to solve for the model parameters, namely, the fractional distance to a discrete scatterer and the ascociated relative scattering strength. We show how this method can be used to estimate pulsar distances reliably, when the location of a discrete scatterer (e.g. an HII region), if any, is known. Considering the specific example of PSR B0736-40, we illustrate how a simple characterization of the Gum nebula region (using the data on the Vela pulsar) is possible and can be used along with the temporal broadening measurements to estimate pulsar distances.

To be published in MNRAS, 7 pages, 3 figures

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