Galactic and Extragalactic Searches for Pulsars and Radio Transients (Eduardo Rubio-Herrera, University of Amsterdam)

Pulsars are one of the most remarkable objects known in our Universe. They are rapidly rotating and highly magnetized neutron stars that can emit radiation in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum such as radio, optical, X-rays and Gamma-rays. These stars are unique laboratories in which very dense forms of matter and the extremely curved space-time can be studied. In this talk I want to discuss the results and methods associated with the search for radio pulsars, objects that can be found by using periodicity searches or by detecting the brightest individual pulses they emit. Particularly I want to describe the implementation of a method to detect single bursts from radio pulsars using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. The technique was applied to perform pulsar searches along the Galactic plane in the direction of the constellation of Cygnus resulting in the detection of a few Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs) candidates. Additionally I want to discuss the detection of sporadic radio bursts detected in the direction of the Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy using different instruments. These burst could be associated with extremely bright and distant neutron stars.