Detection of quasi-periodic micro-structure in three millisecond pulsars with the Large European Array for Pulsars

We report on the detection of quasi-periodic micro-structure in three millisecond pulsars (MSPs), PSRs J1022+1001, J2145-0750, and J1744-1134, using high time resolution data acquired with the Large European Array for Pulsars at a radio frequency of 1.4 GHz. The occurrence rate of quasi-periodic micro-structure is consistent among pulses with different peak flux densities. Using an auto-correlation analysis, we measure the periodicity and width of the micro-structure in these three pulsars. The detected micro-structure from PSRs J1022+1001 and J1744-1134 is often highly linearly polarized. In PSR J1022+1001, the linear polarization position angles of micro-structure pulses are in general flat with a small degree of variation. Using these results, we further examine the frequency and rotational period dependency of micro-structure properties established in previous work, along with the angular beaming and temporal modulation models that explain the appearance of micro-structure. We also discuss a possible link of micro-structure to the properties of some of the recently discovered fast radio bursts which exhibit a very similar emission morphology.

Automated summary

This study reports the detection of quasi-periodic micro-structure in three millisecond pulsars using high time resolution data. The occurrence rate of micro-structure is consistent among pulses with different peak flux densities, and it often exhibits high linear polarization. The results provide valuable insights into the dependency of micro-structure properties and its potential link to fast radio bursts.