Pulsar timing: monitorando pulsares com o BINGO.

Abstract

One of the final possible stages of the life of star is a compact object called a neutron star. It originates from a Supernova, taking another step towards stellar evolution. Neutron stars are laboratories that allow one to study extreme conditions - densities on the order of 1017kg/m3

, extremely strong magnetic fields on the order of 1015 G (the Earth’s magnetic field is 0.5 G), General Relativity tests and candidate detectors gravitational waves. Pulsars are a specific type of magnetized neutron star that resembles a lighthouse, they continuously emit beams of radiation, and appear to blink when the beams cross the observer’s field of view due to their rotating motion. This phenomenon of "blinking" actually are quite stable pulses due to the rotating periodicity of the pulsar, giving the pulsar the characteristic of being an extremely accurate natural clock, competing with atomic clocks. Through these pulses we can accurately obtain information about physical characteristics of its nature and its position in the sky. In the course of this dissertation, we will approach some fundamental concepts of Physics such as the nature of an electromagnetic wave and blackbody radiation. We will also discuss a little about the structure and functioning of radio telescopes, general information about the design of the BINGO radio telescope that will provide a window for the study of pulsars. We present a brief introduction to the nature of a star, looking for some of the main characteristics. Finally, we cover the discovery of pulsars, important physical properties and a technique for detecting pulses called pulsar timing.