The Galactic Distribution of Pulsars

Abstract

Data from the second Molonglo pulsar survey have been analysed to determine the galactic distribution of pulsars. The results show that the total number of active pulsars in the Galaxy (assuming that only 20% of these are observable because of beaming effects) is about 2x 106 ? For a mean active lifetime of 107 years, this implies that pulsars are born at the rate of one every five years. It is also shown that there is a correlation between pulsar period and distance from the galactic plane, with long period pulsars being, on the average, more distant from the plane than short period pulsars.