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Astrophysics, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, astro-ph.HE
Abstract:
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) presents a unique environment for pulsar
population studies due to its distinct star formation characteristics and
proximity to the Milky Way. As part of the TRAPUM (TRAnsients and PUlsars with
MeerKAT) Large Survey Project, we are using the core array of the MeerKAT radio
telescope (MeerKAT) to conduct a targeted search of the LMC for radio pulsars
at L-band frequencies, 856-1712$\,$MHz. The excellent sensitivity of MeerKAT,
coupled with a 2-hour integration time, makes the survey 3 times more sensitive
than previous LMC radio pulsar surveys. We report the results from the initial
four survey pointings which has resulted in the discovery of seven new radio
pulsars, increasing the LMC radio pulsar population by 30 per cent. The pulse
periods of these new pulsars range from 278 to 1690$\,$ms, and the highest
dispersion measure is 254.20$\,$pc$\,$cm$^{-3}$. We searched for, but did not
find any significant pulsed radio emission in a beam centred on the SN$\,$1987A
remnant, establishing an upper limit of 6.3$\,{\mu}$Jy on its minimum flux
density at 1400$\,$MHz.
