Extreme scattering of pulsars

Abstract

Extreme Scattering Events are radio-wave lensing events caused by AU-sized concentrations of ionised gas. Although they were discovered more than a decade ago we still have no clear picture of the physical nature of the lenses. To discriminate between the various models, we need to amass more information on multiple imaging phenomena. Pulsars are perfect targets for such studies: they offer six- to ten-times the information content of quasar observations, and their small angular sizes make them sensitive to distant lenses. In addition, small source-size means that multiple imaging can be studied even when there is little change in the total source flux, because the (weak) secondary images interfere with the primary and create periodic fringes in the spectrum.