scholarly journals Stochastic and continuous gravitational wave analysis pipelines for pulsar timing array data

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S291) ◽  
pp. 178-178
Author(s):  
Justin Ellis ◽  
Fredrick Jenet ◽  
Xavier Siemens ◽  
Maura McLaughlin

AbstractThe Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) collaboration aims to detect gravitational waves (GWs) through the precise timing of millisecond pulsars. GWs will come in the form of a stochastic background, continuous sources and burst sources. Here we will review recent progress on the development of data analysis pipelines aimed at the detection of a stochastic background as well as continuous sources. We will introduce the Optimal Statistic and F-Statistic methods that are used in the stochastic and continuous pipelines, respectively. Both pipelines are fully functional on real pulsar timing data and take into account the timing models for each pulsar. Finally, we will present the efficacy of each pipeline on locally simulated data as well as data from the 2012 IPTA data challenge.

2019 ◽  
Vol 490 (4) ◽  
pp. 4666-4687 ◽  
Author(s):  
B B P Perera ◽  
M E DeCesar ◽  
P B Demorest ◽  
M Kerr ◽  
L Lentati ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe the International Pulsar Timing Array second data release, which includes recent pulsar timing data obtained by three regional consortia: the European Pulsar Timing Array, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves, and the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array. We analyse and where possible combine high-precision timing data for 65 millisecond pulsars which are regularly observed by these groups. A basic noise analysis, including the processes which are both correlated and uncorrelated in time, provides noise models and timing ephemerides for the pulsars. We find that the timing precisions of pulsars are generally improved compared to the previous data release, mainly due to the addition of new data in the combination. The main purpose of this work is to create the most up-to-date IPTA data release. These data are publicly available for searches for low-frequency gravitational waves and other pulsar science.


Author(s):  
Caterina Tiburzi

AbstractPulsar Timing Array experiments exploit the clock-like behaviour of an array of millisecond pulsars, with the goal of detecting low-frequency gravitational waves. Pulsar Timing Array experiments have been in operation over the last decade, led by groups in Europe, Australia, and North America. These experiments use the most sensitive radio telescopes in the world, extremely precise pulsar timing models and sophisticated detection algorithms to increase the sensitivity of Pulsar Timing Arrays. No detection of gravitational waves has been made to date with this technique, but Pulsar Timing Array upper limits already contributed to rule out some models of galaxy formation. Moreover, a new generation of radio telescopes, such as the Five hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope and, in particular, the Square Kilometre Array, will offer a significant improvement to the Pulsar Timing Array sensitivity. In this article, we review the basic concepts of Pulsar Timing Array experiments, and discuss the latest results from the established Pulsar Timing Array collaborations.


2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Hobbs

AbstractThe number of known millisecond pulsars has dramatically increased in the last few years. Regular observations of these pulsars may allow gravitational waves with frequencies ∼10−9 Hz to be detected. A ‘pulsar timing array’ is therefore complimentary to other searches for gravitational waves using ground-based or space-based interferometers that are sensitive to much higher frequencies. In this review we describe (1) the basic methods for using an array of pulsars as a gravitational wave detector, (2) the sources of the potentially detectable waves, (3) current limits on individual sources and a stochastic background, and (4) the new project recently started using the Parkes radio telescope.


2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. B. Yardley ◽  
W. A. Coles ◽  
G. B. Hobbs ◽  
R. N. Manchester ◽  
Marta Burgay ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Boris Goncharov ◽  
D J Reardon ◽  
R M Shannon ◽  
Xing-Jiang Zhu ◽  
Eric Thrane ◽  
...  

Abstract Pulsar timing array projects measure the pulse arrival times of millisecond pulsars for the primary purpose of detecting nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves. The measurements include contributions from a number of astrophysical and instrumental processes, which can either be deterministic or stochastic. It is necessary to develop robust statistical and physical models for these noise processes because incorrect models diminish sensitivity and may cause a spurious gravitational wave detection. Here we characterise noise processes for the 26 pulsars in the second data release of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array using Bayesian inference. In addition to well-studied noise sources found previously in pulsar timing array data sets such as achromatic timing noise and dispersion measure variations, we identify new noise sources including time-correlated chromatic noise that we attribute to variations in pulse scattering. We also identify “exponential dip” events in four pulsars, which we attribute to magnetospheric effects as evidenced by pulse profile shape changes observed for three of the pulsars. This includes an event in PSR J1713+0747, which had previously been attributed to interstellar propagation. We present noise models to be used in searches for gravitational waves. We outline a robust methodology to evaluate the performance of noise models and identify unknown signals in the data. The detection of variations in pulse profiles highlights the need to develop efficient profile domain timing methods.


2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (01) ◽  
pp. 1341008 ◽  
Author(s):  
BHAL CHANDRA JOSHI

In the last decade, the use of an ensemble of radio pulsars to constrain the characteristic strain caused by a stochastic gravitational wave background has advanced the cause of detection of very low frequency gravitational waves (GWs) significantly. This electromagnetic means of GW detection, called Pulsar Timing Array (PTA), is reviewed in this paper. The principle of operation of PTA, the current operating PTAs and their status are presented along with a discussion of the main challenges in the detection of GWs using PTA.


2012 ◽  
Vol 761 (2) ◽  
pp. 84 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Ravi ◽  
J. S. B. Wyithe ◽  
G. Hobbs ◽  
R. M. Shannon ◽  
R. N. Manchester ◽  
...  

2000 ◽  
Vol 09 (03) ◽  
pp. 361-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
PIA ASTONE ◽  
VALERIA FERRARI ◽  
MICHELE MAGGIORE ◽  
JOSEPH D. ROMANO

The search for a stochastic background of gravitational waves is very interesting, both from a cosmological and astrophysical point of view. We give here a brief summary of the status of theoretical predictions, experimental results and data analysis activities.


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