Pulsars, among many different types of interesting cosmic X-ray sources, are paticularly suitable for study by the X-ray instruments onboard ASTROSAT. A large area X-ray detector array onboard ASTROSAT will help in revealing characteristics of X-ray pulsars in a wide temporal range. With three different types of X-ray instruments, spectral studies will also be possible in a very wide energy band. Prime strength of ASTROSAT will be the study of cyclotron absorption features in X-ray pulsars, which is the only direct way to measure the magnetic field strength of neutron stars.

There will be a series of lectures in the workshop, each with two parts. The introductory parts will initiate participants into the basics of various aspects of X-ray pulsars. Specific physics applications, with particular emphasis on possible ASTROSAT observations will be discussed in the more advanced parts.

Main topics to be covered in the workshop are:

•  General X-ray Astronomy
•  Accretion onto Magnetized neutron stars
•  Evolution of neutron star binaries and magnetic field
•  Timing studies of neutron stars
•  X-ray spectroscopy of neutron stars

For more interested participants, there will also be data analysis sessions following the main workshop, where one can get hands-on experience on various aspects of timing and spectral analysis of X-ray pulsars from various astronomy satellite missions. This CD is a guide for these data analysis sessions. It contains all the necessary materials needed for these sessions including, software, reduced data and complete instructions for carrying out each exercise. Some background reading material is also included for those enthusiasts, who want to start these exercises immediately. It is recommended that you go through all pages having links on this page and then start the exercises.

Workshop Schedule


List of participants