Pulsars are amongst the most indispensable astronomical objects in pushing the frontiers of physics, and advancing fundamental physics using pulsars is headline science for the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) — the largest and most sensitive radio telescope in the world, under construction in Western Australia and South Africa. A complete census of the Galactic pulsar population is a high-priority science goal for SKAO, with the pathfinder and precursor facilities expected to play a pivotal role in gearing up toward this long and exciting journey.
Pulsars in close binary systems and those spinning at very fast rates (several hundred times per second) are particularly amongst the most sought after, as they provide unique laboratories for conducting exquisite tests of the theories of gravitation and probing the dense matter physics at nuclear scales – two notable areas where pulsars have been steadily pushing the edge of our knowledge. The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) – the Australian precursor for the low-frequency component of SKAO (SKA-Low) – is firmly establishing its presence in the pulsar discovery space through early results and discoveries flowing from the Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-meter (SMART) survey – an ambitious all-sky survey programme that has already discovered dozens of new pulsars including two millisecond pulsars from the early stages of processing. Petabyte-scale datasets we have collected through the SMART survey project as such represents a unique permanent record of the electromagnetic state of the southern sky at low radio frequencies, offering enormous potential to discover new pulsars and fast transients in the coming decade.
Aim
This project aims to leverage the combination of the SMART datasets, advanced capabilities of the MWA (Phase III), and our computationally efficient search pipelines developed and well-tested on HPC platforms, for expanding the pulsar discovery parameter space, by including acceleration (and jerk) searches to target fast-rotating pulsars in nearby globular clusters and toward unassociated sources identified in the Fermi-LAT (gamma-ray) catalogue. Prospective pulsars from such targets are expected to have fast spin rates, where the application of semi-coherent dedispersion search techniques offer a substantial boost in sensitivity. These pulsars could be part of ‘spider’ systems that host low-mass white dwarfs as companions or those in complex binary systems as a result of high stellar densities and exchange encounters in globular cluster environments. New pulsar discoveries will be followed up for timing and extensive characterisation using multiple telescopes including the MWA, the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), Parkes (Murriyang) in Australia, and the South African MeerKAT telescope (another SKA precursor).
Objectives
(1) Perform systematic and sensitive searches for fast-rotating pulsars toward a very large sample of prospective target sources identified in the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray catalogue, using all-sky SMART datasets.
(2) Leverage new and advanced capabilities of the upgraded (Phase III) MWA to conduct the first sensitive low-frequency searches for pulsars in globular clusters in the southern skies.
(3) Extensive follow-up of new pulsar discoveries using the MWA for phase-connected timing solutions, and extending the follow-ups for wider frequency coverage and further detailed characterisation using other large radio facilities that share common skies (e.g., the GMRT, MeerKAT, Parkes/Murriyang).
Significance
Successful demonstration of acceleration searches at the low radio frequencies of SKA-Low will as such mark a significant milestone as we gear up for full-scale searches with SKA-Low. Globular clusters are known to be breeding grounds for binary millisecond pulsars, and the discovery of even a few objects of exotic nature (e.g. tight binaries or very fast rotation) will be a significant addition to the small sample of specialised targets that are highly sought after for advancing fundamental physics (e.g. strong-field gravity tests, and dense-matter physics) and astrophysics (e.g., complex stellar binary evolution in dense stellar environments).
Ideal Candidate
This project is suitable for a PhD candidate with a sound background in physics and astrophysics, and a strong inclination for software development, high performance computing, and signal processing aspects of radio astronomy. A background in radio astronomy with some research experience is an additional advantage. Additionally, the applicants should meet the eligibility criteria for entry into a PhD program at Curtin University.
This project is open to International and Domestic applicants.
Scholarship
If you are identified as the preferred candidate for this project, you may be considered for an RTP scholarship.
Enquires and How to Apply
For enquires about this opportunity contact Dr Ramesh Bhat at Ramesh.Bhat@curtin.edu.au
To formally apply submit an Expression of Interest to Dr Ramesh Bhat during the Central Scholarship round (July 1st – July 31st 2026)