Pulsar Studies of Tiny-Scale Structure in the Neutral ISM

Abstract

We describe the use of pulsars to study small-scale neutral structure in the interstellar medium (ISM). Because pulsars are high velocity objects, the pulsar-Earth line of sight sweeps rapidly across the ISM. Multiepoch measurements of pulsar interstellar spectral line spectra therefore probe ISM structures on AU scales. We review pulsar measurements of small scale structure in HI and OH and compare these results with those obtained through other techniques.

Review to be published in the proceedings of the meeting on "Small Ionized and Neutral Structures in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium" (ASP Conference Series)