Student assignment · due date set by instructor
Submit complete derivations, units, assumptions, and a short physical interpretation. Include reproducible code for multi-step calculations and show intermediate values. Cite any external catalog or data product with its release/version. Collaboration on methods is allowed; submitted derivations and prose must be your own. Corrections and resubmissions with a change log are encouraged.
For DM=56.8 pc cm^-3, compute delay between 400 and 1400 MHz. If DM uncertainty is 0.2 pc cm^-3, propagate its contribution to delay uncertainty.
Required: derivation, units, intermediate values, uncertainty/assumption, and an interpretation that identifies what the result does not prove.
A 400-MHz observation uses 0.1-MHz channels and DM=56.8. Estimate intra-channel dispersive smearing from the derivative of the delay law. Compare with a 2-ms pulse width and state the detectability consequence.
Required: derivation, units, intermediate values, uncertainty/assumption, and an interpretation that identifies what the result does not prove.
For 84 recovered injections out of 100, compute completeness and binomial standard error. Explain why this does not include sky-position or pulse-width model uncertainty.
Required: derivation, units, intermediate values, uncertainty/assumption, and an interpretation that identifies what the result does not prove.
OpenStax Astronomy 2e §23.4 and Chapter 23 Figuring for Yourself 42-43 (pulsar rotation speed) and 53 (pulse count); ATNF Pulsar Catalogue definitions include P0, P1, and DM.
The numbered anchors were checked against the local OpenStax Astronomy 2e extraction; exercise numbers/page breaks can vary by edition. Before assigning through an LMS, the instructor should spot-check each recommendation against the adopted print/PDF edition. Exact source scope and extraction notes are in ../reference-log.md. Do not present the synthetic teaching records as telescope observations.
Three problems, 100 points total. Submit a PDF or HTML report plus code/notebook where requested. Show figures with axes, units, captions, and data provenance.