The "lock-in magic" you are describing is called "phase folding" in the pulsar community and can be done in software. The expected rotational frequency would be

The "lock-in magic" you are describing is called "phase folding" in the pulsar community and can be done in software. The expected rotational frequency would be taken from an ephemeris file and there is tools to search for it, if unknown, as well. If the telescope is sensitive enough, is a good question. I don't see any results in the article that shows sensitivity numbers.