Frequency dependence of the scattering pulse broadening for the Crab pulsar

Abstract

We measured the frequency dependence of the pulsar pulse broadening by scattering over a wide frequency range, from 40 to 2228 MHz, based on direct measurements of this parameter using giant pulses from the pulsar PSR B0531+21 in the Crab Nebula. Our measurements were carried out at the following seven frequencies: 40, 60, and 111 MHz at the Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory (Astrospace Center, Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences), 406 MHz at the Medicina Observatory (Instituto di Radioastronomia, Italy), and 594, 1430, and 2228 MHz at the Kalyazin Radio Astronomy Observatory (Astrospace Center, Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences). The measured frequency dependence of the pulse broadening by scattering τ _SC (υ) ℝ υ ^γ, where γ=−3.8±0.2, agrees with a model Gaussian distribution of interstellar inhomogeneities (γ=−4) but falls outside the error limits of correspondence to a Kolmogorov model spectrum of inhomogeneities (γ=−4.4).