Searches for Giant Pulses from Extragalactic Pulsars

We discuss the giant-pulse phenomenon exhibited by pulsars and the distances to which giant pulses might be detected from extragalactic pulsars. We describe the conditions under which a single-pulse search is more sensitive than a standard periodicity search. We find that, for certain pulse-amplitude distribution power laws and time series lengths, single-pulse searches can be superior. We present the results of searches toward several extragalactic targets, including M33, the LMC (PSR B0540-69) and several other galaxies. While we have not conclusively detected giant pulses from any of these targets, these searches illustrate the methodology of, issues related to and difficulties in these types of searches.