Quantitative Exploration of the Similarity of Gamma-Ray Pulsar Light Curves
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We introduce and apply a methodology based on dynamic time warping to compare the whole set of gamma-ray light curves reported in the Third Fermi-Large Area Telescope Pulsar Catalogue. Our method allows us to quantitatively measure the degree of global similarity between two light curves beyond comparing indicators such as how many peaks there are, what their separation is, and their width and height. Once the morphology of the light curve is showcased via background subtraction, min-max scaler normalization and rotations are considered to take into account that phase 0 is arbitrary, and the level of detail with which light curves of different pulsars appear is revealed. In many cases, their similarity is striking and occurs disregarding any other timing, physical, or spectral property. In particular, some millisecond pulsars and young pulsars share detailed light-curve morphology.
Authors: C. R. García, Diego F. Torres
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,400
OpenAlex ID: W4408924534