Determine whether intrinsic profile changes can be excluded in scattering candidates

Determine whether the profile variations classified as scattering-induced in high-dispersion-measure millisecond pulsars contain any intrinsic contribution from changes in the pulsar emission process.

Background

Several pulsars show profile evolution with a steep frequency dependence and morphology consistent with temporal changes in interstellar scattering. The frequency dependence and scattering-convolution simulations support a propagation-based interpretation of these variations.

However, the observed agreement with scattering models does not definitively exclude intrinsic emission changes. The authors therefore leave unresolved whether the apparent scattering-induced profile evolution is purely chromatic propagation or includes a contribution from intrinsic pulse-profile variability.

References

Such behaviour may arise from strong chromatic propagation effects, particularly interstellar scattering, although intrinsic changes in the pulsar emission cannot be completely ruled out.

— Time-Correlated Profile Variability in the MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array  (2609.09919 - Bhat et al., 9 Sep 2026) in Appendix, Section “Pulsars showing profile shape changes likely due to scattering variations”