A flexible format for exchanging pulsar data

¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
² University of Thessaloniki, Department of Physics, Section of Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanics, GR–54006, Greece
³ University of Manchester, Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratories, Jodrell Bank, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 9DL, UK
⁴ Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, via Zamboni 33, 40126 Bologna, Italy
⁵ National Astronomy and Ionospheric Center, Arecibo Observatory, P.O. Box 995, Arecibo, Puerto Rico 00613

Send offprint request to: D.R. Lorimer

Received: 6 June 1997
Accepted: 28 August 1997

Abstract


We describe a data format currently in use amongst European institutions for exchanging and archiving pulsar data. The format is designed to be as flexible as possible with regard to present and future compatibility with different operating systems. One application of the common format is simultaneous multi-frequency observations of single pulses. A data archive containing over 2500 pulse profiles stored in this format is now available via the Internet, together with a small suite of computer programs that can read, write and display the data.