Timing and statistical analysis of single-pulse search pulsar discoveries from the PALFA survey

arXiv:2608.08754 · astro-ph.HE · Submitted 2026-08-09 · Read on arXiv

Graham M. Doskoch, Maura A. McLaughlin, B. Allen, A. Brazier, F. Camilo, F. Cardoso, S. Chatterjee, J. M. Cordes, F. Crawford, J. S. Deneva, R. D. Ferdman, P. C. C. Freire, J. W. T. Hessels, V. M. Kaspi, J. van Leeuwen, R. S. Lynch, A. G. Lyne, B. W. Meyers, E. Parent, C. Patel, B. B. P. Perera, S. M. Ransom, P. Scholz, I. H. Stairs, B. W. Stappers, W. W. Zhu

astro-ph.HE

Submitted: 2026-08-09

Updated: 2026-08-11

Comments: 40 pages, 15 figures; submitted to ApJ

Code: https://github.com/scottransom/presto

Project page: https://rratalog.github.io/rratalog

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The gist: Almost two decades after their discovery, pulsars discoverable only through their single, dispersed radio pulses, known as rotating radio transients (RRATS), remain a poorly-understood class of

Terminology

Abstract

Almost two decades after their discovery, pulsars discoverable only through their single, dispersed radio pulses, known as rotating radio transients (RRATS), remain a poorly-understood class of objects. Compared to the overall pulsar population, few have timing solutions, limiting our ability to understand the mechanisms underlying their sporadic emission. Here, we present a single-pulse analysis of twelve sources from the PALFA survey, consisting of eleven objects initially identified as RRATs and one candidate fast radio burst. We present timing solutions for five of the sources with detections at a sufficient number of epochs and spin periods for two more. For all sources, we use a Bayesian framework to fit distributions of single-pulse energies, finding support for log-normal energy distributions and pulse-to-pulse wait times that are consistent with Poisson processes. Finally, we provide updates on the previously-published candidate fast radio burst J0613+18, with new indications that it is in fact extragalactic.

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