Low dispersion pulsars

This thesis describes an investigation of the properties of Southern pulsars between 40 and 150 MHz using the new Llanherne broad-band array. The telescope hardware and software designed to schedule observations automatically are described. The method used for telescope calibration is outlined including a review of ionospheric effects on continuum source signals and a description of software used to perform and process source observations. The pulsar literature is reviewed as are the observational effects of dispersion, Faraday rotation and scintillation on the pulsar signal. The software used to obtain and process pulsar spectra, pulse profiles and single pulse data is described. The spectra of 36 pulsars are presented together with some discussion related to each pulsar. Special attention is given to PSR 1055-52 for which a two pole emission model is suggested. The statistics of the sample group of pulsars are examined and limits set on the physical parameters of individual pulsars